


Snapshots Of A Wedding

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-15
Updated: 2008-01-11
Packaged: 2019-01-19 11:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12409269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: It's Harry and Ginny's big day and everyone is excited about it. But not everything is perfect. Tensions run high and secrets are revealed. Watch as things go awry on the day that is supposed to be the happiest day of Harry and Ginny's lives.





	1. Yes I Will

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

  
** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

_"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to be as soon as possible."_

_\-- Nora Ephron_

_**[...Yes I Will...]** _

Ginny smiled and leaned back againt Harry's chest. She inhaled deeply and took in the salty yet sweet scent of the ocean air. She scanned their surroundings and fell in love with every inch of the beach.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Harry's voice broke through.

"Yes, it's simply gorgeous."

Ginny scanned the beach once again. It was indeed gorgeous. The water was a deep, dark blue mass, illuminated by the glimmering stars in the night sky. They were vastly numerous, twinkling as if to say hello to those below them. The moon was a full, round, darkened sun glowing against the darkness behind it. The waves of the water brushed rhythmically against the sand that was lit by the moonlight. They were surrounded by magnificient trees that swayed in a solemn dance with the wind. The shoreline was spotted with traces of Harry and Ginny's footsteps, marking the path they had taken to get to where they were now. It was a little settled area on the far corner of the beach, surrounded by large, smoothed rocks and elevated just enough that the horizon was easily and perfectly visible.

"I wanted to show you this spot from ages ago," Harry confessed, watching Ginny wiggle her toes in the cool sand. "I discovered it a few years back and it was just so peaceful and perfect." Ginny nodded. "I wanted to wait until the perfect time to show you it."

Ginny smiled and looked back at him. "And what makes tonight so perfect?"

"I'm here with you aren't I?" Harry kissed Ginny on her forehead and then corner of her lips.

"You pride yourself on making me blush don't you?" Ginny felt her face flush. It was true. Harry new just what to say and what to do to make Ginny blush and he constantly used that to his advantage.

"If that made you blush, I'm sure this will." Harry stood up, causing Ginny to straighten up, and walked in front of her to face her.

"What are you-"

Harry placed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Just listen." He knelt down and looked at her, his eyes intently focused on hers. "Ginny, I have never been completely sure about anything in my entire life, until now. When I'm with you I feel so illuminated and alive. It's almost as if my life has only just started since meeting you and being with you. You take my breath away everytime you walk into a room, everytime you look at me, smile at me, or whenever you're just near me and I absolutely love that feeling. I love you so much and I want to continue to be with you, forever." Harry let out a breath and looked down, opening a white velvet box. "Ginevra Molly Weasley," he paused and looked into her eyes again, "will you marry me?"

It felt as though time stopped. Ginny's eyes were misty with the onset of tears and her mouth was curved into a tiny smile. Harry felt the level of anticipation rise with every second that passed. 

Ginny blinked and quickly looked back at Harry, almost as if to make sure he was really kneeling in front of her, proposing. She smiled and finally whispered, "of course I will." 

Harry scrambled to put the diamond-cut ring on Ginny's finger and then stood up, pulling her off the ground and into a grateful and passionate kiss.

The walk back was comfortably silent, the two still trying to wrap their minds around the surreality of what had just been established. In Ginny's mind she just couldn't believe that the moment she had been anticipating for quite some time now had finally arrived. Harry was overjoyed that Ginny had said yes and was just as anxious as she was for their lives to take on a new journey.

**_[...Seven Months Later...]_ **

Seven months passed by like nothing. It was now the early morning of Harry and Ginny's big day. They had opted for a moonlight wedding so to keep true to the night Harry proposed in the midst of the moonlight. This meant that the entire day was spent in anxiousness for the event.

All arrangements had been made and the day seemed as though it was going to run smoothly and perfectly. But as everyone knows, nothing is ever perfect or what it seems.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_Coming up..._ **[...Duelling Mothers...]**

**A/N: This is a short story that takes place over the span of one day, jus to clear things up a bit. My next post will be either tomorrow or the day after but definitely soon. R &R please! Thank you for reading!**


	2. Dueling Mothers

  
**SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING**

_"There is no squabbling so violent as that between people who accepted an idea yesterday and those who will accept the same idea tomorrow."_

                                                --Christopher Morley 

**_[...Dueling Mothers...]_**

The sun radiated through the cracks of the curtain, beaming on to Ginny's face and stirring her awake. She rolled over and stretched, yawning widely and slowly opening her eyes to stare at a blazing red digital clock.

7:25 A.M.

Ginny smiled and bolted upright, leaning on her right elbow. It was her wedding day. It was the day that girls dreamed about for their entire lives; it was the day she had spent the past seven months planning and the day she was ready to go through with so she could begin her life together with Harry. In just twelve hours and thirty five minutes she would be Mrs. Harry James Potter.

Just then, her bedroom door swung open and Luna walked in with a breakfast tray in her hand and singing, "Here comes the bride, here comes the bride."

Ginny laughed. "Thank you Luna." She sat up and allowed Luna to rest the tray in the bed. 

Just then Hermione groggily walked in, her face screwed into an unpleasant expression. "Morning guys," she whispered, rubbing her stomach.

"Morning sunshine," Ginny said sarcastically. "What's wrong with you?"

"My stomach. Just finished throwin up." She sat on the bed and winced when she spotted the tray of Ginny's food.

"I thought I would be the over-anxious one this morning," Ginny commented, spooning up a bit of eggs.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not anxious. Just a little sick. Hopefully it'll pass by tonight."

"It could be a purple Nilarm," Luna pitched in, biting into a piece of Ginny's toast. "The purple ones make you _think_ your sick. All you have to do is hang upside down and sing a jingle; it scares them away."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at Ginny who just shook her head and bit back a laugh. Trying to change the subject, she looked down at her tray and said, "This breakfast looks really great."

"Your mom made it. She told me to bring it up just as Mrs. Potter walked in."

"Mrs. Potter?" Hermione questioned. "She wasn't supposed to be coming until after lunch."

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe she's just as excited as the rest of us. We should get downstairs too anyway so we could start making sure everything's in order."

"Don't worry Ginny," Hermione interjected, "everything's going to be perfect."

Just then a loud crash sounded from downstairs and all three of the girls jumped up and walked over to the top of the stairs. They peered over the bannister only to see Mrs. Potter aiming her wand towards someone out of their line of vision. 

"Your daughter has done nothing but distract my son!"

"My daughter? What about your son? Your son who has done nothing by corrupt my daughter!"

"Mom?" Ginny sped down the stairs, Luna closely behind her and Hermione struggling to keep up. "What's going-"

_"Reducto!"_

"Ginny look out," Luna yelled, forcing Ginny on to the ground just as the spell hit the dining room table, narrowly missing Mrs. Weasley.

_"Stupe-"_

"MOM STOP!" Ginny yelled, scrambling off the ground and grabbing her mother's hand just before she managed to finish the spell.

"Let me go Ginevra," Molly Weasley demanded, struggling against her daughter's grip. "This bitch needs to be taught a lesson!"

"You're the one whose head is stuck so far up your ass that you can't see the truth about your daughter!" Lily Potter raised her wand again but Luna managed to grip her hand.

"Mrs. Potter you need to calm down," Luna said, devoid of any kind of commanding tone. "Think about-"

"I don't want to think about any damn Snorkbacks or Crumple anything you little loony retard!" Lily pushed Luna off of her who kept her distance, looking quite offended by the insult.

_"Protego!"_ Hermione managed to cast the spell just before Lily raised her wand again. 

Ginny let go of her mother when she realized it was safe. "What the hell is going on in here?" The two women remained quiet, staring at each other intently. " _I asked a question!!"_

Molly Weasley looked at her daughter and then turned towards the sink and rested her hands against the cool metal. "I don't want you marrying that Potter boy."

Ginny kept quiet. It was Hermione who interjected with a weak "you what?"

"I said," Molly paused and then turned around, "that I don't want you marrying that Potter boy. He's-"

"There nothing wrong with my son!" Lily shouted. "It's your daughter," she said, calming her voice down. "Ever since he started dating her my son has changed. He's lost sight of the job his father has set for him. He wants to be an Auror now instead of working with James. He's completely misguided by this little tyrant." Pointing at Ginny, Lily said with great emphasis, " _she is the problem!"_

"The problem?" Ginny finally spoke, facing Lily Potter with an angered expression. "The problem? Harry's doing somethng that he _wants_ to do and your telling me that I corrupted him?"

"That's right."

"Ginny hasn't done anything to Harry," Molly finally spoke again. "If anything Harry's the problem. He's said he'll marry my daughter but we all know his history with girls. Look at Cho Chang. Shagged her then left her in the cold. It's only a matter of time before he does the same to my Ginevra."

"My son is a respectable young man," Lily said, eyeing Molly.

"Your son is a man-whore and I don't want my daughter marrying him."

For the first time, Lily Potter looked content. "Fine by me. Consider this wedding cancelled."

Lily jammed her wand back into her pocket and stalked out of the house, apparating the second she walked over the threshold of the kitchen doorway. 

"Well that's that."

"What do you mean _'that's that'_ mom?" Ginny spun to face her mother who had turned back to the sink. "The only people who have the power to cancel this wedding are me and Harry and we both have plans to follow through with it."

"Ginny, that boy is no good for you," Molly said, flinging a rag on to the counter and looking at Ginny. "How do you know he won't hurt you?"

"Because I know Harry. We've been together for six years now mom," Ginny said, holding up six fingers. "Six. And never once have we had any major issues."

"She's right Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, standing up. "Harry and Ginny have had a very admirable relationship."

"Why are you and Mrs. Potter trying to ruin it?"

"I already told you. I don't want you marrying him." Molly Weasley walked out of the kitchen, leaving the three girls quiet.

"I don't believe this is happening." Ginny put her hands on her forehead. "Why in bloody hell did they wait until today to do this? Better yet, why are they doing this at all?"

"Ginny calm down," Hermione said, walking over to her. "Like you said, the only people who can call this wedding are you and-"

"Ginny," a voice whispered from the fireplace and all three of the girls spun around to see Harry's face illuminated in green.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, standing in front of Ginny. "You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding!"

"It's bad luck," Luna said, kneeling by the fireplace.

"Like we don't have enough of that going around," Harry said. "My mom told me what happened. Are you really calling off the wedding Ginny?" His voice was filled with a mixture of concern and fear. He sounded hurt by the possibility that Ginny would order such a travesty. 

"What?" Ginny said, moving from behind Hermione. "I never said that." Ginny's voice was soft and quaint and gve Harry the comfort that she was telling the truth. "Your mom came in here and started fighting with my mom. _They_ want to call off this wedding," she paused and kneeled close to the fireplace next to Luna, "not me."

Harry smiled. "I knew my mom had to be wrong." Harry paused. "You look so beautiful."

Ginny blushed. "I look a hot mess," Ginny said, looking down at her dirty pajamas and pushing her mousy brown hair off of her face." 

"You always look beautiful to me," Harry said, causing Ginny to blush even more. "I better get going. Have a wedding to get ready for. I'll see you tonight baby." Harry blew a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Harry disappeared and both Ginny and Luna stood up and turned towards Hermione.

"The wedding is still on then," Hermion asked.

Ginny nodded. "I don't care who has a problem with it. I'm marrying Harry tonight, no matter what!"

_______________________________________________________________________________

_Coming up... **[...Conspiracy Theory...]**_

**A/N: R &R please! And I apologize for taking to long but it's those last two weeks of school so my school load is ridiculous. But I promise I will try to add.**

   
  
---


	3. Conspiracy Theory

** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

_"When you're in a relationship, you're always surrounded by a ring of circumstances...joined together by a wedding ring, or in a boxing ring."_

_\-- Bob Seger_

**_[...Conspiracy Theory...]_ **

9:07 A.M.

Ginny sighed and continued to look down her checklist as Luna and Hermione paced back and forth in front of the table. Although there was still plenty of time to get things done, the three were very anxious now that Mrs. Weasley was definitely not ging to help; they were going to have to take control of everything themselves, a feat they were admittedly not prepared for.

"This is just bloody ridiculous!" she spat out, startling Fred and George who had just walked in.

"Dragonbride starting to roar," Fred joked, grabbing an apple out of the basket in the middle of the table.

"Bug off you little git," Ginny retorted without looking up from the parchment.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" George asked, moving to sit next to Fred instead of Ginny.

"She's just a little irritated."

"No, I'm a lot irritated, Hermione!" Ginny finally looked up. "Mom and Mrs. Potter tried to call of the bloody wedding earlier this morning."

"Oh, we saw that coming," the twins said simultanesouly.

"Mom always had a problem with you dating Harry," Fred started, "and so did Mrs. Potter-"

"So it was only a matter of time before they voiced her opinion, and try to put an end to this wedding," George concluded.

"How is it that you two always know everything?" Luna asked, shaking her head at the twins.

"That's our little secret, little Ms. Lovegood."

"Oh please, they don't know _everything,"_ Hermione said, sitting next to Ginny.

"That's what you think, Ms. Granger," Fred said, eyeing Hermione suspiciously.

"Well that's beside the point," Ginny said, not even noticing the staring war between Hermione and her brother. "Now that mom's out I need to find someone to bake a cake, someone to help me decorate the tent, someone to prepare lunch _and_ the dinner." Ginny sighed. "I'm not going to be able to do all of this."

"You won't have to, Ginny," Hermione said, finally turning her gaze away from Fred.

"Yeah sis, we'll help you. Fred and I know a couple of talented chefs who could bake the cake _and_ prepare the meals." George grabbed a parchment and started scribbling away.

"And Luna and I could help you decorate. It won't take long, not with the right charms and spells." 

Ginny looked at her brothers and then to Hermione and nodded. They were right. She didn't have to do all of this alone. She had so many people who could help her and time was definitely on her side. She had basically an entire day left for preparations.

"Right. So we'll straighten the food issue out. You girls get to work and do whatever it is that you bridal parties do." 

Ginny laughed as she watched her brothers march out of the kitchen and apparated. "Should I trust them with this?"

"I know they're a bunch of jokers but I don't think they'd sabotage your wedding. They, unlike some people, actually approve of it."

Ginny nodded and stood up. At least now, they were beginning to make some kind of headway.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Harry flicked his wand at his truck and it closed, locking away his wedding rob, shoes, underwear, clothes and other necessities for the honeymoon. The plan was for both the bridal party and the groomsmen to get ready at the Burrow since that was where the wedding was going to be and for Ginny and Harry to depart early tomorrow morning, spending an entire week somewhere exotic for their honeymoon.

Harry smiled at the thought of the wedding. In less thatn 24 hours he was going to marry Ginny, the woman he had been absolutely crazy about since his sixth year at Hogwarts.

"You seem ridiculously happy." Harry spun around to see Neville standing in the doorway. "You're smiling from ear to ear."

Harry chuckled. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm getting married today."

"So I take it you're just as excited as you said you'd be."

Harry nodded. "I can't believe the day is finally here." He walked over to the window. "You wait and wait for it to come, thinking it never will and then the day arrives and you're just so, overwhelmed by it. But it all just feels so amazingly terrific!"

Neville shrugged. "I wish I could tell you I know how you feel."

Harry looked at his friend but remained quiet. Neville had always been a tad bit pathetic at just about everything up until their fifth year at Hogwarts; by then he had really stepped into his wizarding talent and had proven himself worthy of possessing magic. The only thing he failed to acquire was the ability to talk to girls. Even now, at twenty-one years old, he was struggling with developing a relationship.

"Don't worry, Neville. You're turn is probably right around the corner." Harry finally managed to say. In fact, he could say it confidently, knowing a particular bit of information that proved his theory correct.

"Harry darling, would you care for some bre-" Lily Potter stopped short when she entered her son's bedroom and spotted his locked trunk. "Going somewhere?" she asked, knowing fully well the answer.

"Yes as a matter of fact. I'm headed to the Burrow," Harry said, walking over to his trunk.

"What are you going to that God-awful place for?" Lily said, fixing her face into a disgusted expression.

"Because, mother, I'm marrying Ginny." Harry gave a flick of his wand and his trunk disappeared, magically transported to the Burrow.

"I told you already that I forbid it."

"You can't forbid me to marry Ginny. I'm a grown man. I can make decisions for myself." Harry moved to exit the room but his mother stood in front of him, blocking the doorway. "Mother, get out of the way."

"No! Harry, sweetheart, Ginny is the wrong girl for you. Do you see her family? Do you really want to end up like that?"

"End up like what? In a family full of people who truly care about my happiness?" Lily Potter just kept looking at her son. "I'd prefer it to people who tried to stand in the way of what I want." Harry managed to push past his mother. "Come on Neville. I said I'd met Ron at the Burrow at 10 so we better get going."

Lily watched as her son and Neville disappeared down the stairs. Anger and frustration were writhing all through her. She did _not_ want her son marrying Ginny.

"You're not going to marry Ginny, Harry. I'm going to make sure of that."

_______________________________________________________________________________

Ginny continued to tick off her checklist, double checking to make sure that was she was ticking off was straight.

"Alright so the bridal party is straight; the rings are picked up and Remus should be bringing them soon," she said, checking her watch which read 9:46 A.M., "and Fred and George are handling the cake and the food. I think we're making excellent time."

"The dresses arrived then?" Hermione asked, going over the list herself to make sure.

Luna nodded. "I picked them up yesterday. They're right in the closet." Hermione walked over to the closet and took out the laundry cases that contained the two bridesmaid dresses. "Where's your dress, Ginny?" Luna asked, helping Hermione remove the dresses.

"In Charlie's old bedroom. It's the only closet that was big enough to hold it," Ginny said, smiling at the thought of her lavishly gorgeous wedding dress.

Hermione laid the laundry cases on the bed but stopped short, leaning over and holding her stomach. "Ugh! This bug is getting on my nerves."

"Why don't you go see what's downstairs? I'm pretty sure there's something in one of those books."

Hermione shook her head. "I can barely make two steps without feeling like I'm going to throw up."

"I'll go get it then," Ginny suggested. She turned towards the door but her path was blocked by the sudden appearance of Fred. "You're gonna give somebody a heart attack one day if you keep doing that," she reprimanded, holding her chest.

"Well we have bigger fish to fry at the momentt," Fred said, a tone of worry in his voice that Ginny had never heard before. "Remember the chef we mentioned?" The girls nodded. "Well, he's sick. Dragonpox of all things."

"Dragonpox?!?" Ginny and Hermione exclaimed.

"It's a mild case and he'll be fine but he's not well enough to do any sort of cooking today."

Ginny heaved a frustrated sigh. "Great! Means we have to find somebody else to do all the cooking. And quickly. It's almost 10 o'clock and Harry those were supposed to be arriving at 10. Plus I have some family and the priest coming at 1 o'clock for lunch." Ginny flung her hands in the air in frustration. "Can't have lunch with people if there's no bloody food to give them!"

"Ginny calm down," Fred said. "We'll find a way to get some food. We're wizards girly, or have you forgotten?" Fred smiled and winked at her before apparating.

Ginny shook her head and rubbed at her eyes. "I swear if-"

"Um, Ginny, what color were our dress supposed to be?" Luna asked, unzipping one of the laundry cases.

"Royal blue," she replied, turning to face them, "why?"

"Because these dresses are um," Luna paused and looked up, pulling her dress out of the case, "pink."

"What?!?" Ginny yelled, rushing over to her. "There supposed to be royal blue. Didn't you check them before you brough them here, Luna?"

"Yes I did and it said Ginevra Weasley - Royal Blue on the tag," Luna replied, placing the dress on the bed. "They were blue yesterday."

"Oh this is just bloody brilliant this is!" Ginny said, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I can't have my bridesmaids in pink when all my decorations are in  royal blue!"

"Ginny, it's no big deal. We can change the color of the dresses." Hermione took a hold of Ginny's shoulders. "You seem to keep forgetting that we're witches and wizards here who can do just about anything with magic. Handling a few technical mishaps is no big deal."

"Don't you see Hermione?" Ginny pleaded, near tears. "Someone is out to get us and I'm pretty bloody sure it might be my mom and Mrs. Potter. They're doing some sort of conspiracy magic to ruin this entire wedding. I know they are. I just know it!"

"I don't think either of them would stoop that low," Luna said, rubbing Ginny's back as a few tears fell, "no matter how much they're against this wedding."

"I concur. No one is out to get you two, Ginny. It's not a conspiracy!"

 Just then Remus ran up to the room. Panting to catch his breath, he leaned on the doorpost and peered at the three girls. "Hey girls. Um, I-"

"I know Remus," Ginny interrupted. "Just put the rings on the table."

"Oh, um," Remus stood up and looked at Ginny. "There's a slight problem."

"Slight p _roblem_?"

"Um, Remus. Maybe those weren't the best wor-"

"Shut up, Luna!" Ginny slowly walked over to Remus. "What _problem_ is there, Remus?"

Remus, slightly taken aback by Ginny's actions, slid into the room and moved towards Hermione and Luna, keeping his distance from Ginny. "Um, the rings are um," he paused and swallowed "missing." 

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE MISSING??"

Remus was not particularly afraid of much things but Ginny's sudden outburst had startled him. "We had gotten them and everything like you requested but they somehow disappeared and when we tried a few summoing charms, nothing happened."

Ginny let out a loud sigh and turned to Hermione. "You were saying about my conspiracy theory?"

Hermione kept quiet and looked up at Remus and Luna. Something was definitely fishy about today. First, both mothers duel about the wedding and try to call it off and then things just start going rigid - the cake, the dresses, now the rings? It definitely was starting to sound like a conspiracy.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_Coming up... **[...Saved By The Elf...]**_

 


	4. Saved By The Elf

  
** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

_"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."_

_\--Albert Pike_

**_[...Saved By The Elf...]_ **

"Ginny, you could at least wait a minute!"

Remus tried desperately to keep up with Ginny but she was moving abnormally quickly. She had become so angry that she stormed out of the room without a word, leaving everyone else in the room a little worried about what impulsive thing she was about to do. So, to prevent Ginny from doing anything dangerous, they all followed her downstairs, keep slightly distant in case she rounded on them. Ginny was an awesome witch under good and regular circumstances, but whenever angered or provoked, she was ten times better, and fifty times more dangerous.

Piling into the kitchn, Remus, Luna, Hermione and Fred and George (who had returned the exact same moment that Ginny had stormed out of the room) watched as Ginny paced back and forth, her wand held tightly in her hand and her steps sounding heavy against the wooden floor.

"I am so sorry about this," Remus repeated for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "It was an accident."

"No it wasn't!" she shouted.

Consequently, a tiny stool that was a few feet away from her exploded, leaving nothing but debris and a little ash behind. Fred and George stepped back, clearly eager to get out of the line of fire.

"None of these mishaps are just accidents," she continued, barely acknowledging the now reduced stool. "I know somehow that my mom has something to do with this." She let out an irritated sigh.

"Ginny at least try to calm down so we can try to figure this out," Luna bravely suggested, stepping closer to Ginny. "We'll simply call your mom down and ask her."

"Psh! Like she'll tell the bloody truth!" Ginny snorted and plunked into a chair.

"It's Mrs. Weasley," Luna said, "when has she ever lied?"

"When has she ever tried to stop one of her children from doing something?" Ginny paused and put a finger to her chin, pretending as though she was pondering her own question. "Hm, why she did that just this morning didn't she?"

"And not to mention eight years ago-" 

"When she tried to stop us from establishing our joke shop," George stated, reminding everyone of those many times Mrs. Weasley had confiscated one thing or another from the two. 

"Exactly!" Ginny nodded fiercely. "If she can stand in the way of her own children's dreams who knows what else she's capable of."

"I'm terribly sorry, Ginny," Remus said quietly after everyone went silent for what felt like hours.

Ginny sighed but said nothing. Remus went to move forward but his path was blocked when Neville appeared suddenly in front of him, followed immediately by Harry who had apparated next to Luna. Both of them had arrived smiling but those smiles quickly faded when they noticed the distant expressions on everyone's faces. 

"Is something wrong?" Neville asked, looking at Remus who was closer to him than anyone else.

Remus hesitated a moment before saying, "I, um, misplaced Harry and Ginny's wedding rings."

"You what?!?" Harry asked, turning to face Remus.

"Harry don't," Hermione interjected, stopping Harry before he could lash out. "He feels bad enough."

Harry nodded and walked over to where Ginny was seating. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squatted so to become level with her. "You alright baby?"

Ginny shook her head. "Everything is slowly becoming a disaster. Mom's not helping because of the whole 'you're not marrying Harry' rampage; we have no food or wedding cake; the girls' dresses are the wrong colour; and now, on top of everything, the wedding rings are missing."

Just then, Ron descended the stairs yawning widely. He stopped when he had hit the last step and noticed how full the kitchen was. He looked down at his watch that read 10:05 A.M. and yawned again, descending that last step and ending up next to where Fred and George were.

"Mornin' everyone," he said, clearly oblivious to the crisis at hand.

"I don't believe you're just waking up," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at him. "All the racket that's been going on in here."

Ron shrugged. "I didn't hear anything. What happened so?"

Ginny sighed and began by telling him of the fight between Mrs. Potter and their mother, then repeated everything she had just told Harry; the expressions and nods coming from everyone else confirmed what she was saying. Ron slowly became just as worried.

"But why wait until the day of the wedding to voice their opinion?"

"That's what I said," Ginny stood up. "But it doesn't matter. With this huge mess of things the wedding can't possibly happen tonight."

"Of course it can," Harry said, standing up. "We just need to get a handle on things."

"But how?" Luna and Ginny asked simultaneously.

Harry remained quiet, not knowing the answer. He examined the scene and, almost as if he was an empath, felt the tension and worry rising in the room. He felt Ginny's fear and felt everyone else's anxiety. When he had left his house, he was under the impression that everything was under control, even with both mothers on the disapproval train. But now he realized that everything was slowly falling apart. There was no food, and everything they had planned had to be redone from scratch. How were they going to manage redoing everything by tonight, even with magic?

Then, it hit Harry like a rogue bludger at a Quidditch match and he jumped up and yelled, "Dobby!"

There was a loud cracking sound and a tiny house-elf appeared. He was wearing an overgrown t-shirt, two different coloured socks and about five tams over his pointy ears. Despite his awkward appearance, Dobby looked quite thrilled to be there.

  
"Harry Potter! Such an honour. Dobby has been wondering how Harry Potter has been."

"I'm fine, Dobby." Harry said, smiling at Dobby. "I'm getting married today."

"Dobby knows. Dobby has been hearing that Harry Potter is engaged to the beautiful Weasley girl." Dobby gestured towards Ginny and smiled, giving a slight twinkle to his rotund eyes. 

Harry smiled and looked at Ginny who had given a light chuckle. "Yes, Dobby. But we have some problems-"

"A lot of problems!" Ginny interrupted.

"Right." Harry nodded in agreement. "A lot of problems. Is there anything you could-"

"Of course. Anything for Harry Potter."

"Great. What I need for you to do is-"

"You are going to pay Dobby," Hermione said, moving to stand next to Harry, "aren't you Harry."

"Dobby would be more than happy to help Harry Potter without pay."

"But Dobby-"

"Lay off it Hermione," Ron said. "He says he has no probl-"

"I didn't ask you!" Hermione snapped, glaring at Ron with a mean stare that everyone took notice of before looking at Dobby.

"Dobby can come to the wedding," Harry said, before Hermione had a chance to say anything else. "I was supposed to invite him anyway."

"Dobby would be delighted sir," Dobby said, bowing.

"Great, so here's what I need for you to do."

Ginny felt relieved as Harry explained everything to Dobby. Before long, they had everything planned. Dobby had absolutely no objections to getting the food together and made mention of a few more elves he knew that would be more than happy to help. After finalizing everything, he disapparated and the atmosphere in the kitchen immediately lightened. 

"Right, so that's settled," Harry announced, looking around at everyone.

Ginny jumped up and wrapped her arms around Harry, pulling him into a tight and grateful hug. "Thank you so much!" She pulled away and looked at him. "I don't know what I'd do without you." 

Harry smiled and kissed her. "It's my wedding too and I want everything to be perfect, just the way we both imagined."

"So now that that's settled, I'll try and locate the rings Ginny," Remus made his way towards the door.

Ginny, so elated that something had been resolved, hugged Remus before he left. "I'm really sorry I snapped at you. I know it's not your fault."

Remus nodded and looked at Fred and George. "I think you two can help me cover more ground."

Fred and George left willingly, leaving Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Luna and Neville in the kitchen.

"We should get to work on the dresses and the decorations." Hermione made to move but stopped when she felt her stomach drop.

Harry looked at her properly for the first time since he arrived and noticed how pale she looked and how dishevelled her hair was. "You look bloody awful," he said.

"That's not nice, Harry," Luna scolded just as Ginny hit him in his stomach.

"She's sick," Ginny added. "Some kind of bug."

"Oh that shouldn't be too big of a problem to fix," Neville finally spoke. "Just boil a bit of surasee and it should ease it. I think I saw some growing in the garden." Neville walked towards the door. "I'll go look and fix you up a cup."

"Um, Luna you know a bit about plants too, why don't you go help him?" Harry suggested, nodding intently at her.

Luna happily agreed and the two exited the kitchen, Luna engaging Neville in a conversation about nargles and their evolution into crackles.

"Hermione can you grab that box of decorations and meet me outside? I think dad and Charlie set up the tent last night so we should start on decorating it for lunch." Ginny stood up and followed Neville and Luna out of the kitchen.

Hermione nodded and looked around for the box, spotting it in the corner of the kitchen near the stove. She went to lift it but Ron stopped her by picking it up for her.

"What're you doing?" she asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

"Helping you. You shouldn't be lifting anything." Ron said, turning towards the door.

"I can take care of myself, Ronald!" Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at the box. _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ The box floated out of Ron's hand.

"But Hermione you're-"

"I'm perfectly capable of carrying the box myself!"

Ron watched as Hermione guided the floating box out of the doorway and disappeared out into the yard, yelling to let Ginny know she was coming.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked, feeling a slight tension between his two friends.

"Nothing," Ron said with a rather cross look on his face. "Just Hermione being her usual argumentative self."

Harry watched as Ron grabbed a biscuit off the table and walked back upstairs, mumbling inaudible words under his breath. It was true, Hermione was terribly argumentative when she was ready but it was usually only when she was provoked. All Ron had done was offer to carry the box outside for her because she was sick. It wasn't like he had shouted or insulted her or anything for her to snap at him like that. Whatever was wrong with her went far beyond a disregard for common chivalry.

Determined not to concern himself with any other problems at the moment, Harry simply walked out into the garden but still made a mental note to talk to both Hermione and Ron sometime this afternoon. He hoped that whatever animosity existed between them was resolved before midnight, seeing as how they had to walk down the aisle together as maid of honour and best man. If not, a few messed up wedding plans would be the least of their worry. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

_Coming up... **[...One Word, Cho...]**_

 


	5. One Word, Cho

  
** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

_“The formula of the argument is simple and familiar: to dispose of a problem all that is necessary is to deny that it exists.“_

_\-- Henry Louis Mencken_  

**[...One Word, Cho...]**

"What time is it, Harry?"

Harry gazed down at his watch and then answered, "11:47 A.M."

"Great. That means we have about an hour to get ready," Ginny said, turning back to face Hermione.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Exactly how many people are coming?" she asked, summoning a box of plates, forks and cups to her.

"Last time I checked it was about six people," Ginny replied, trying to recall who all were coming to the lunch.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, reaching for a parchment that was on the table.

"Well excluding us, there's the priest and his assistant, Sirius of course, Aunt Muriel and her granddaughter Andrea and grandfather Septimus was coming as well."

"This list says Aunt Muriel was bringing Andrea's daughter as well," Harry said, pointing at the name.

"Oh, Mirinda's only a toddler so she doesn't really count." Once Hermione had set the table, Ginny examined it and said, "Needs some flowers. _Orchideous!"_ A bouquet of flowers appeared in Ginny's arm and she placed them in a vase in the middle of the table. "Perfect."

"The tent look's beautiful," Luna said serenly, appearing next to Ginny.

Ginny smiled and nodded, looking around the tent. It was indeed beautiful. The tent itself was glistening white and had silk, baby blue material layered around the top, giving an icicle affect. The chairs were covered in blue cloth and tied with a white bow around the back. White petals were strewn strategically along the table and contrasted beautifully with the sparkling blue table cloth. The plates were silver with blue diamonds laden around the rim and the cutlery were silver as well, with clear diamonds sparkling along the handle. Although it was still light out, Ginny had constructed five floating lights that gave a warmth to the tent and casted rainbow reflection of the sunlight along the top of the tent. 

"Great work guys," Neville said, appearing shortly after Luna. "Here you go Hermione." He handed her a cup that was filled with a pale brown liquid that had a bitter smell to it. "It isn't a cure but it should ease your nausea long enough to make it through lunch."

Hermione looked skeptically into the cup. "It's homeopathic right?"

"Homo what?" Neville asked, raising his eyebrows at Hermione.

Hermione, realizing that she and Harry were probably the only ones who understood the muggle term quickly explained. "Homeopathic means natural remedies. Meaning it doesn't contain anything that's harmful to the body in anyway."

"Oh, well no. It's just plain surasee boiled to obtain the liquid," Neville replied. "Just drink up."

Hermione took a large gulp but the look on her face proved that the bitter smell was true to the taste of it. 

"Ugh, that's so nasty."

"I know but it works."

Hermione, building up her courage, managed to swallow the last bit of surasee before handing Neville back the cup. Almost immediately, the remedy started to take place. Not only did she start to feel better but she looked better as well; she was no longer as pale anymore and her face looked brighter.

"You're right. I feel a whole lot better."

"Good because I'm going to need you fit and ready for this lunch party." Ginny said, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "We should start getting ready for it anyway."

Ginny, Luna and Hermione made their way towards the house, with Neville and Harry following closely behind. They walked into the kitchen and just as the girls were about to go upstairs, Harry took hold of Hermione's arm, deciding that now would be the best time to try to talk to her.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked, watching Luna and Ginny disappear up the stairs.

"Er," he said, not entirely sure where to start. "What's up with you and Ron?"

Hermione just looked at Harry. "Nothing."

"Hermione, you've always been a horrible liar."

Hermione yanked her arm out of Harry's grip and furrowed her eyebrows. "I said that nothing is up with me and Ron. If he chooses to act like a great big git then that's his problem."

Hermione stormed up the stairs, leaving Harry and Neville to stare after her, utterly confused at her outburst. She stalked into the room where Ginny and Luna were and slammed the door so hard it threatened to fall of the hindges. She pushed past Luna and plunked herself on the bed, folded her arms and heaved an aggravated sigh.

"Er, everything alright?" Ginny asked, staring inquisitvely at Hermione.

"Yes, I'm fine." Hermione said, sighing again and standing up. "He's just so insufferable! Acting like - and then has the nerve to - yet he expects me to just - can't believe he'd think - ugh!"

"Hermione," Luna started, "Who are you talking about?"

"No one. No one important anyway." Hermione grabbed her bag and stalked back out of the room.

"I think I prefer the sick Hermione," Luna said, looking at the door that Hermione had just slammed shut again.

Ginny nodded, highly confused about what had just happened. It wasn't like Hermione to babble incoherently, even when she got angry. She normally kept composed and in control no matter how she was feeling. Yet, here she was, gabbering away like she had lost her mind. Whatever was bothering her was something big.

______________________________________________________________________________

Harry and Neville walked into Ron's room just as Ron had fastened the top of his dark blue robe. 

"How's the tent look?"

"Brilliant," Harry replied. "Ginny and Hermione did an excellent job."

"Hermione able to handle herself then. Didn't try to bite off anyone else's head did she?" Ron asked bitterly, tugging at his rob a little too forcefully.

"Ron, what's going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Ron answered simply.

"But there has to be something wrong. The way she snapped at you this morning-"

"I said nothing's wrong Harry. I told you this morning," Ron said, walking past him towards the door, "She's just being her usual argumentative self."

Harry shook his head at Ron as he exited the room. "Unbelievable. Neither of them can ever admit when something's wrong."

"Think something happened between them that none of us know about?" Neville asked, grabbing his robe out of his trunk.

"I don't know," Harry replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But whatever's wrong, it was something big because I've never seen Hermione _that_ riled up before."

"I'm sure they'll both get over it in due time," Neville said. He too sat on the bed and picked up his shoe, idly cleaning it off. 

"So um, what were you and Luna talking when you two were in the kitchen?" Harry asked slyly.

Neville shrugged. "Nothing really. Just a little bit of this, a little bit of that."

"Nothing interesting?" Neville shook his head but Harry spotted the slight grin on his face. "So then why the smile?"

Neville looked at Harry, still grinning widely. "What smile?"

Harry laughed. "That one that you can't seem to wipe off your face."

Neville shrugged again and stood up, throwing his robe on and fastening it tightly. "Can't a guy smile?"

"You like Luna don't you?" Harry asked.

"You always answer a question with a question?" Neville asked, stalling in answering Harry's querry.

"I could ask you the same thing," Harry replied, "But I'll ask this instead: Do you like Luna?"

Neville looked at Harry and for a minute, it looked as though he was going to answer him. However, instead of saying yes or no, Neville just smiled and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Harry stared at the door and shook his head again, laughing to himself. Was anyone going to give him a straight answer today?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Ginny emerged from the room, dressed in a brilliant white and blue robe designed specifically for the lunch party. Luna followed her, dressed in a pale blue robe and her infamous radish earrings that clashed dangerously with the dress, but she wore nonetheless. They both walked into the kitchen to spot Hermione dressed in the same robe as Luna but with a pair of regular silver earrings that matched perfectly. However, she didn't look too good.

Although Neville's concoction had eased her nausea, she still looked as though something was wrong. Her hair was fixed into a perfectly tight bun at the nape of her neck and she was dressed and fixed, but her skin had gone back to the paleness it had been that morning and her face was furrowed, as though she was both angry and depressed at the same time.

"Hermione, are you feeling alright?" Ginny asked, sitting in a chair next to her.

"Feeling sick again?" Luna asked, sitting on the other side.

Hermione shook her head and looked up, revealing a tear-stained face. "It's just that," she paushed, not exactly sure what to say.

"It's ok," Ginny said, rubbing her back. "You can tell us. Go on."

"Well, you see, Ron-"

Just then, Ron and Neville appeared at the foot of the stairs and Hermione, upon seeing Ron, went quiet again and stood up to walk over to the kitchen window, wiping her eyes quickly so that the boys wouldn't see.

"What time is it?" Ron asked, staring at Hermione's back.

"12:55," Luna replied, glancing at the clock. 

"Which means everyone should be arriving soon."

And, almost as if her words were like a summoning charm, there was a knock at the kitchen door and Hermione, being closest to it, opened the door to reveal Aunt Muriel, Andrea, Mirinda and grandfather Septimus.

"Aunt Muriel," Ginny said, standing up to hug her. "So good to see you again."

"Good to see you too deary," Muriel said, pulling away from the hug and turning to Ron, just as Ginny hugged Septimus.

Just as she pulled away, the priest and his assistant showed up with Sirius right behind them.

"Wonderful," Ginny said, turning to hug Sirius. "Everyone's here so why don't we go outside and get ready for lunch.

Everyone followed Ginny out into the garden and just as they stepped outside, Dobby arrived, with a table of food appearing right after him.

"Dobby," Ginny said happily, "you're here. Great."

Dobby bowed low. "Dobby promised he would help and he has." 

Dobby gestured towards the table that was layered with food. There were pans of ham and lampchops, mashed potatoes, kidney and bean pies and an assortment of deserts. Dobby had truly outdone himself.

Everyone, happy that the food situation had been sorted out, gathered around the table and sat down, eager to eat. Just as Ginny was about to sit down, Hermione grabbed her roughly by the arm and tried to pull her away from the table.

"Hermione what is it?" Ginny asked, trying to keep up with her. "Why are you so frantic?" Hermione, however, didn't answer or stop walking. "Hermione would you slow down!"

Hermione finally came to a halt as she reached the kitchen door. She looked worried about something and kept looking back at the table, towards the front gate and then back at Ginny. What she didn't do was answer Ginny's question.

"Well," Ginny started, "Are you going to tell me what the problem is?"

Just then, Harry emerged from the kitchen dressed in a dark green robe and his usually messy hair brushed as neatly as possible. 

"Why are you two over here?" he asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his robe.

Ginny shrugged. "Hermione dragged me over but won't tell me why."

Both Harry and Ginny looked at Hermione who was picking at her fingers and still looking between the gate, the table and Ginny.

"Out with it, Hermione," Harry said. "What is it?"

Hermione heaved a heavy sigh and stared mournfully at the two of them. Almost as if she was ordering a death sentence, Hermione closed her eyes and said, "Cho's here."

Ginny's eyes opened wide in disbelief and she spun around to face the gate. Sure enough, Cho Chang was standing there dressed in a muggle-type dress and heels instead of robes like everyone else. She was talking to the priest's assistant who had walked over to meet her at the gate. She looked over at Ginny and formed a slight smirk, seemingly enjoying Ginny's shock at her presence. She walked through the gate and headed towards the table, acting as though she had been invited.

No food, wrong dresses, and an irritating mother she could handle. But the last thing Ginny expected to have to deal with was Harry's insufferable ex-girlfriend, Cho.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_Coming up... **[...Something Old...]**_

 

 

 


	6. Something Old

**_ SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING _ **

__

_“It's a love story. Boy meets girl, they're falling in love and an evil woman tries to separate them. She has helpers to keep them apart.”  
_ _\--Morten Louring_

__

**_[…Something Old…]_ **

_“Cho's here."  
_

The words repeated unwelcomingly in Ginny’s mind and she stared disdainfully at Cho, who was now making herself very much at home by sitting in the empty seat that would’ve been Hermione’s. Ginny tried desperately to calm herself down but the self-righteous look on Cho’s face and the arrogance emanating from her person was irritating the hell out of Ginny and causing that anger that had finally subsided to return with a vengeance. 

Hermione watched the shocked expressions appear one by one on everyone’s face when they realized who had just taken a seat to the table. It wasn’t a very pretty sight but Cho didn’t seem too moved by the inhospitable looks she was receiving. Instead, she was engaging Septimus and Aunt Muriel in conversation while stealing a few glances in the direction of Harry, Ginny and Hermione.

Hermione then looked nervously at Ginny, then at Harry who had not yet recovered from his own astonishment. Neither of them seemed to realize the group of people making their way towards them. Fred, George, Ron and Luna was rushing over with Neville closely behind. 

“Can someone explain to me what Cho’s doing here?” Fred asked, looking back the table. Cho was now taking it upon herself to butter a biscuit, playfully giggling at whatever grandfather Septimus was saying.

“Your guess is as good as ours,” Harry finally answered, looking at Fred. “As you can see we’re all as shocked as you are.”

“So um, no one invited her then?” Ron asked. He was staring at Hermione who was avoiding his gaze, but it was Ginny who answered.

“Not that I can recall but I have a pretty good idea how and why she’s here.” 

Ginny pushed her way out of the circle that had formed and marched pointedly towards the table that was now buzzing with conversation. It was obvious that only the eight of them were aware of Cho’s inappropriate presence.

“Um, anyone else a little worried that a fight’s about to happen?” Ron asked, watching as Ginny continued towards the table.

No one voiced an answer but nodded instead, moving in one swift motion to follow Ginny.

“And then I managed to freeze the little bugger and turn him into a toad. Been living like that for decades now.” Grandfather Septimus laughed heartedly. “Ah Ginny my dear, I was just talking to your friend here. She’s quite a lovely girl and very humorous indeed.”

“That’s all good and well grandpa Septimus but could you, just for one moment, excuse me and my _friend,”_ Ginny said, putting harsh emphasis on the last word and staring angrily at Cho.

“Why of course Ginny,” Cho replied cutely. She stood up and followed Ginny to a far side of the yard, causing the group that was following them to change course. 

“What are you doing here?” Ginny asked, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible.

“What do you mean?” Cho asked, smiling slightly.

“You know bloody well what I mean,” she shouted, failing miserably at trying to keep unruffled. “This is me and Harry’s wedding day and you damn sure as hell was not invited so I’d like to know how the hell you got here.”

It was at that moment that Fred, George, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Harry arrived. Harry stood next to Ginny while the rest of them remained a few steps behind. They were readying themselves in case a heated argument erupted.

“Well if you must know Ginny dear,” Cho started, “your mother invited me.”

Ginny’s heart dropped and time seemed to slow down as she replayed the last ten seconds in her mind. Her mother invited Cho? She knew it. All the mishaps and the bad luck boiled down to her mother and now Cho’s presence was the icing on her destructive cake.

“M-My mother invited you?” Ginny shook her head, trying to dispel her disbelief. 

“Yes I did invite her.” Molly Weasley appeared behind her daughter. “I thought that she would be a valuable asset to my case.”

Ginny watched as her mother moved to stand next to Cho. It was one thing for her mother to say she didn’t want to her marrying Harry, it was another to actually formulate and execute a plan to prevent it. All day things were going wrong and she had some inclination that it was her mother’s doing  but it still came as shock to her that it was indeed all her mother’s fault.

“Mother, how could you?”

“Now Ginny dear, you know just how Harry’s always been thought of as a lover boy.” Molly fixed Harry with a disgusted glare.

“No he’s not mom,” Ron spoke up, walking towards his mother. “Harry’s a very faithful person and you know it. Why are you trying to ruin this for them?”

“Because my daughter deserves better than some disrespectful ingrate!”  Her voice had risen to a substantial level and it was drawing attention from everyone who had remained at the table.

“Um, maybe you should take this inside,” Hermione said, stepping in between Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. “You’re drawing the attention of the other guests.”

Ginny nodded. “Shall we continue this in the kitchen?”

Ginny didn’t wait for a reply but instead lifted her robes a little to make walking back to the kitchen quickly a little easier. Everyone followed but it wasn’t until they had reached the door that she turned abruptly to face everyone.

“We’ll handle this inside. The rest of you stay with the guests and try and keep them occupied.”

“But Ginny we-“

“Please, Ron,” she pleaded with a sigh.

Ron nodded and lightly pushed Neville, Fred, George, Luna and Hermione back over to the table. Ginny, Harry, Mrs. Weasley and Cho made their way into the kitchen and closed the door behind them, preventing the rest of guests from seeing inside. For a few minutes no one spoke. Instead, Cho settled herself calmly at the table and Mrs. Weasley stood by the kitchen sink. Ginny and Harry stood in front of the table, staring from Mrs. Weasley, to Cho and back again.

“Well,” Ginny finally spoke, “are you going to explain?”

“Explain what?” Molly replied, avoiding Ginny’s gaze. “I already told you. Cho’s here because I invited her.” 

“But why-“

“I invited her so she can prove what I’ve been saying all along: that Harry cannot be trusted.”

Ginny sighed and rubbed her eyes before looking back at her mother. This was just getting ridiculous.

“Why exactly do you think I can’t be trusted, Mrs. Weasley?” Harry asked. “All these years you’ve treated me like your own son. You took it upon yourself to take care of me and now you’re acting like I’m some kind of vagabond. You didn’t have a problem when me and Ginny first got together so why the big issue now?” 

It was eerie but Harry was managing to keep his anger at a minimum and his voice soft. It wasn’t that he wasn’t upset (he was, in fact, greatly distressed about Cho’s presence). It was just that someone needed to be calm and rational right now and it was definitely not going to be Ginny; she was fuming behind him and Harry could sense that she was more than ready to hex Cho, who was smiling haughtily at the two. 

“I did treat you like a son because I thought that you were respectable.” Molly walked towards the table and used a chair for balance. She formed a slight smile and continued, “You were so polite and you looked out for Ron and Ginny, protected them on countless occasions. And I was happy when you and Ginny got together.” Molly’s smile started to dwindle. “But then I learned about how you treated Cho. How you didn’t even let her know that your relationship had ended. How even after that you used her.”

“Cho and I simply fell apart,” Harry said, looking intently at Cho. “She knew that it was over and couldn’t have expected anything to continue.” Harry finally looked back at Molly. “And I never used Cho for anything.”

What use could he possibly have for Cho? They had ended years ago. Seven to be exact. Yet here she was, feeding Mrs. Weasley lies about how their relationship had ended and trying to get in the way. Harry couldn’t fathom why she was doing it or how she was benefitting from this ploy. She certainly couldn’t believe that Harry would get back together with her if Ginny and Harry didn’t make it. That wouldn’t even happen if he and Cho were the last two people on earth and the procreation of the series depended on it; the human race dying out would be a much preferred choice.

“Is that so?” Molly said, with an all-knowing tone. 

Harry ignored her and turned to look at Cho. “Cho, you know you shouldn’t be here,” Harry said. “It’s inappropriate.”

“Why is that Harry?” Cho asked, giving him a flirtatious smile and standing up. “Afraid I’ll be a problem?”

“Yes as a matter of fact,” Harry responded. “It looks mighty suspicious you being here.”

“Oh come now, Harry. Everyone knows what I am to you.”

“And what is that?” Ginny asked. She had been quiet the entire time but Cho’s smug look was aggravating her and she wanted nothing more than to beat her face in. “What importance could an insufferable git like you be to Harry?” Her breathing was becoming heavy and the grip on her wand was getting tighter. 

“I serve the importance of being his _true_ love.” The words dropped a heavy silence onto the room but Cho broke it by continuing, “Harry’s never been able to let me go and he knows it, even if he won’t say it out loud.” Cho was now stepping towards the couple and her expression was turning evil. “Harry can’t keep me off his mind and he can’t stay away from me. Where do you think he goes those nights he tells you he’s at Auror training? By me.”

“That’s a lie,” Harry said. He was now getting angry and his fists were balled up, causing his nails to dig into his skin. “We ended years ago Cho and all this waffle you’re saying is just a lame attempt at destroying my relationship with Ginny.”

“Why would I need to do that when you’ve already done it?” Cho folded her arms. “Or you don’t think cheating on your fiancé with your ex-girlfriend qualifies as ruining you relationship?”

Just then, there was a blur of red hair and the next minute Cho was being held on the ground by Ginny. All ideas of hexing, jinxing or cursing Cho had slipped from her mind and, instead, she opted for physical violence. Beating Cho senseless and sending waves of pain that only bodily harm could bring was more satisfactory than making her legs jiggle or rending her immobile. Ginny gripped tightly onto Cho’s throat with one hand and punched her hard with the other, bloodying her nose with one blow.

“You little foul, evil bitch!” 

Ginny wrenched her arm back and punched Cho harder; the sound of bone cracking echoed through the kitchen. Harry and Mrs. Weasley had been frozen in shock at Ginny’s rage, not entirely sure what to do. It was Mrs. Weasley who moved first; she gripped Ginny’s arm and with all her strength pooled, grabbed her by her waist and hoisted her off a slightly disoriented and bleeding Cho Chang. Ginny fought against her mother’s hold and continued to shout at Cho, who was struggling to compose herself and trying to sit up.

Surprisingly, Harry remained quite stable as Molly and Ginny struggled with each other. He stood staring at Cho who was looking back at him. His breathing was panicky and his voice seemed to have vanished. He swallowed hard and looked at Ginny who had seemed to calm down a bit.

“Is it true Harry?” Ginny asked desperately. She was near tears but she wasn’t entirely sure if it was from the anger or from the fear that what Cho had said was true.

Harry didn’t know what to say. The memory of that night came flooding back to his mind. He was upset, he had somehow come across Cho and they had talked and ended up sleeping together. He didn’t know how he could’ve forgotten it. He had every intention of telling Ginny that it had happened but never did. And now it had come back to bite him in the ass, hard. 

Ginny continued to stare at him in utter disbelief. Cho had finally managed to stand up and had walked over to Harry. Although she was bleeding and her nose appeared broken, she was still gloating at the damage she had done. Ginny ignored her, though. Her gaze was fixated on Harry who was still rooted in the same spot and who had still not answered her. 

“It’s not what you think, Ginny.” 

Stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say. It was _exactly_ what she thought. Patronizing her like that was only going to make her rage worse. And sure enough, the little bit of calm that had come over her disappeared. Instead, she took a few furious steps towards Harry. Any sensible person would have retreated but Harry couldn’t muster up the courage to move. It might only anger Ginny more.

Ginny shook her head. “How could you?”

A tear escaped and Harry felt a jab in his chest as he watched it slide down her face. It was bad enough that he had done something to hurt her but now he had driven her to tears. Harry was hating himself more and more by the minute.

“Ginny I swear it was a mistake. If you just let me explain what-”

Explain what no one knew because that same second Ginny had punched Harry square in the face, causing him to stumble back as she stormed past him and flung the kitchen door open. Her abrupt presence in the garden had turned everyone’s attention towards the house. They only caught a glimpse of Ginny however, because before she took five steps, she disappeared, apparating to only God knows where.

Shocked faces met Harry as he stepped outside with his nose bleeding and Cho behind him, bleeding as well. Hermione was the first person to move from under the tent. She wasn’t entirely sure what had happened but the look on Harry’s face and the satisfied expression Cho was wearing suggested that the day had just gone from bad to worse.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Coming up… **[…Something New…]**_

 


	7. Something New

** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

****  
_“Truth exists; only lies are invented.”  
_                         -- _Georges Braque_

  ** _[...Something New...]  
_**

Harry stood rooted in the same spot. He couldn't move; he felt too weak and light-headed to move anywhere. He had possibly just lost Ginny because of some awful mistake and the most he could manage to do was stare at the spot she disappeared from like he was expecting her to re-appear and tell them that everything that had just happened was a joke. But he knew it wasn't; and he felt that it was quite possible that Ginny was not coming back. 

He wiped his nose and saw that blood was ladled on his fingers from when Ginny had punched him. He started to move when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head towards the person and saw that it was Cho. Just as he brushed her hand off, Hermione arrived looking frightened.

"Harry, what happened?" she asked, taking his hand away from his nose to examine it. "Who did this to you?"

"Ginny," Harry replied plainly.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked, shocked. "Why would Ginny do that?"

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he turned around to walk back into the kitchen. He didn't feel like talking right now. He needed time to think. He needed time to figure out what the hell had just happened. Before he managed to make it to the door, Cho touched his shoulder again.

"Harry," she said, "you shouldn't be ashamed of what we did."

Harry shrugged her hand off again. "What _we_ did? Right now, Cho I'm not entirely sure what it was that _we_ did."

"Of course you are," Cho replied, smiling despite the fact that her nose was still bleeding. "We slept together, Harry. Plain and simple."

"You what?" an angry voice shouted from behind Harry.

Before he could turn around completely to see who it was, Harry received a strong blow to the nose and stumbled back, this time actually falling to the ground and knocking Cho back as well. He looked up to see Ron towering over him; Ron had evidently overheard the short conversation between Harry and Cho and was not at all pleased to find that his sister had been cheated on.

"You little git!" Ron shouted, grabbing Harry by his collar and flinging him against the wall. He wrenched his arm back and punched Harry again. "How could you do that to Ginny?" 

"Ron, listen to me, I-"

"You're just what mom said you were!"

Ron pulled Harry off the wall and then flung him so hard and so far that he knocked into Fred who was standing a good seven feet away. This drew the attention of everyone who had been standing in a circle around Hermione trying to figure out what happened. They had not seen the first punch but were now definitely aware of the fact that Ron was now fighting with Harry.

Ron charged at Harry just as he managed to straighten up but Harry, for his own safety, crouched and pushed against Ron's weight, sending him flying to the ground. Ron quickly recovered and pushed against Harry, knocking him into one of the tent's poles.

"Ronald Weasley!" 

"What the bloody hell are you two doing?"

Arthur Weasley and James Potter had just arrived. They had been out running last minute errands for the wedding and arrived just in time to see their sons, who were the groom and the best man, fighting each other while everyone else, guests included, stared bewildered at the scene.

Arthur latched on tightly onto Ron's arm just as he drew it back to punch Harry and pulled him away. James, with the help of Sirius, picked Harry off the ground and dragged him to his feet.

"Let me go!" Ron yelled at his father. "How could you Harry?" Ron shouted at Harry. 

“Ron I swear I-”

"HOW COULD YOU GO BEHIND GINNY'S BACK AND SLEEP WITH CHO?"

There was a loud gasp and a collective "what?" from everyone present. Harry looked around to see everyone staring at him. He was surprised to see that everyone just stood there and didn't stampede towards him to finish off Ron's task. Instead, everyone spun around to look at Cho.

"Why does everyone look so shocked?" Cho asked, shrugging. "It should come as no surprise that Harry would prefer me over Ginny." 

"I think it's time you leave!" Hermione said after a few moments. "You've done enough damage."

To everyone's surprise, Molly took hold of Cho's arm and said, "We'll be glad to and once you all realize the truth, we'll be back to collect Harry for Cho."

Molly and Cho disapparated and everyone instantly started to break up. Arthur dragged Ron into the kitchen followed by Fred and George. James, Sirius and Neville took Harry to a far end of the garden and all the guests decided it was the best time to leave, leaving Hermione and Luna standing in the middle of the garden looking back and forth.

"What now?" Luna asked, torn between which person she should go check on first.

"You stay here and try to see if you can prevent anything else from going wrong." Hermione said.

"And where are you going?" Luna asked, seeing Hermione take out her wand.

"To try and find Ginny, wherever she is."

Luna watched as Hermione took a few slow steps towards the gate and then disappeared. She sighed and looked out into the garden at the spot where Harry had been taken. She looked at Neville who gave her a small smile and then waved at him. She looked back at the spot where Hermione had just apparated from and began to wonder where it was that Ginny could have possibly gone.

___________________________________________________________________________

The wave beat softly against the edge of the rock and Ginny pulled her knees closer to her chest. Being back to the exact same spot that Harry had proposed to her drew her to tears as she replayed the night over and over in her head and every time she hit Harry's speech, she felt her stomach drop and her vision became cloudy as the tears threatened to fall.  


_"When I'm with you I feel so illuminated and alive. It's almost as if my life has only just started since meeting you and being with you...I love you so much and I want to continue to be with you, forever."_

Ginny couldn't stifle a lout outcry and started to sob. That night had been so perfect and the seven months they had spent planning their wedding had been such a smooth ride. She realized now that it was all just too good to be true and started to feel as though she had been naive not to anticipate something going wrong.   
The thought of what Harry had done came back fiercely and Ginny closed her eyes in an attempt to prevent the heavy set of tears that was looming. Just as she had done so, she heard a loud _crack_ and flung her eyes open to see Hermione staring down at her.

"It's about time I found you," she said, taking a seat next to her.

"I didn’t know you were looking for me,” Ginny replied, looking down at her watch to see 3:47 P.M. She gave a sarcastic laugh. “We were supposed to be putting down the old tent by now and setting up the new one for the ceremony.”

“Ginny,” Hermione said, noticing the bitter tone, “what happened?”

“You mean no one blurted it out yet?” She let out another sarcastic laugh. “What  a shocker!”

“You mean about Harry sleeping with Cho?” Hermione asked nonchalantly, as though it was no big deal.

“Oh so you do know!” Ginny said a little too loudly. “So that little cheater found it necessary to brag about what he did!” She sat up straight and in a mock-Harry voice said, “Wahoo, look at me. I’m the great, big Harry Potter and I shagged Cho. I’m the greatest wizard alive.” She returned to her normal voice. “Yeah, whoopee!” 

Hermione bit back a giggle and instead just shook her head at Ginny. 

“What?” Ginny asked, obviously offended at Hermione’s lack of agreement.

“It’s just that Harry didn’t brag about anything,” she replied. “Ron let it slip after he overheard Cho talking to Harry. He went mental and started pounding on Harr-”

“Got what he deserved!” Ginny said in a satisfied tone.  

“I don’t think so,” Hermione said, shaking her head again. “Harry seemed very mournful about it all. I really don’t think it’s true.”

“Hermione he told me himself. When I asked him he apologized. He didn’t defend himself; he didn’t try to say he didn’t do it. He _apologized!_ ” Ginny said, standing up quickly. “If that’s not the act of someone who’s guilty I don’t know what is!”

“Ginny, be reasonable.” Hermione said, standing up as well. “You’ve been with Harry for six wonderful years.” Ginny let out a resentful laugh but Hermione ignored it and continued. “You and I both know the kind of person Harry is and I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“So then what could it possibly be Hermione?” Ginny said almost desperately. “What could have possibly happened?”

Hermione shrugged. “Dunno. But what I do know is that Harry isn’t the kind of person to do this. I think it’s best you try and talk to him and figure out what’s going on.”

Ginny sighed. “What’s the point?”

“The point is that I know you don’t want to lose Harry and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to lose you.” Hermione waited for an answer but none came. “Just talk to him would you?” Still, Ginny didn’t answer. “I hate to see you two fighting like this!”

Ginny looked sharply at Hermione. “Us? What about _you_?”

“What about me?” Hermione asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“You and Ron,” Ginny replied. “You two have been at each other throats all day. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Hermione answered too quickly.

“Nothing huh,” Ginny asked. “Highly unlikely.” Hermione fidgeted nervously and Ginny yelled, “Spit it out!”

Hermione closed her eyes and Ginny saw a tear escape from it. “Ron and I had sex.”

Ginny’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.“ Hermione nodded. “Two months ago. And ever since then he’s been trying to talk to me about possibly getting together and I’ve been so scared about ruining our friendship that I was avoiding it.” She was in full tears by now. “And I found out last week that I’m pregnant and-”

“Freeze!” Ginny said, putting up her hands. “You’re _pregnant_?” Hermione nodded. “As in going to have a baby pregnant?” Hermione nodded again. “Hermione that’s wonderful.”

Hermione shook her head hurriedly. “No it’s not. I’m already unsure about starting a relationship with him and now I’m pregnant,” she cried, wiping her eyes after tears started streaming heavily. “I don’t know if we’re ready for this.”

“Hermione, you treating Ron like how you are is not in any way, shape, or form fair to him.” Ginny rested her hand on Hermione’s shoulder. “You need to talk to him and stop pushing him away. You two are going to have a baby together.” Hermione looked at her as if she had heard the news for the first time. “It’s time you two stop fighting.”

Hermione nodded. “I know it’s just. I don’t want to ruin our friendship and I’m just so confused.”

“Talk to him. It’s the only way you’ll figure anything out.”

Hermione’s expression went serious quickly. “I’ll talk to Ron if you promise to talk to Harry.”

Ginny moved her hand and turned to look at the ocean. Hermione awaited a response but Ginny just kept looking out into the water, apparently not willing to reply.  

“Ginny, you know talking to Harry is the best thing.”

“I know.” She paused. “I promise I’ll talk to him.”

“Good.”

“Let’s wait a few minutes, though. I want to calm down before I talk to him.”

Hermione nodded and took her seat on the rock again. Ginny followed suit and then looked back into the water as it continued to brush against the rocks. Maybe Hermione was right; maybe there was more to the story than what appears. Ginny closed her eyes and exhaled; for her sake, she prayed that there was more to the story.

___________________________________________________________________________  


_“Episkey!”_

Harry felt his nose go hot and then, a second later, it felt normal again. He touched it to see and found that it was no longer bleeding and wasn’t broken. He exhaled gratefully and looked at his godfather who was stowing his wand in his pocket.

“Thanks Sirius.”

Sirius nodded. “So, are you going to tell us what that was all about?”

Harry looked down. “Don’t think I need to. Ron seemed to say everything.”

“But is it true, son?” James looked at his son the way only a father could. His expression read concerned, confused, angered, omniscient and fatherly all at the same time.

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know.” Realizing the confusion on their faces, Harry continued, “I mean. The memory is there. I can see me walking into Cho’s bedroom and us kissing and everything but it just doesn’t seem…real.”

“Is it possible that you were pissed?” Sirius asked, taking a seat next to him. “That tends to make memories seem unlike your own.”

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I don’t drink enough to get pissed so I know it wasn’t that.”

“When did this happen?” Neville asked, knowing for certain that the possibly that it didn’t happen was more plausible than it actually occurring. 

“When me and Ginny broke up for those few weeks,” Harry replied.

“Er, Harry,” James started, raising and eyebrow, “when did you and Ginny split up?”

“A few months ago,” Harry said, looking at them weirdly. “Don’t you remember? She said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get married and we separated to give her some time to think. We got back together three weeks later.” 

Sirius, James and Neville looked at each other; all three of them were utterly perplexed. They never heard of Ginny having ever broken up with Harry during their six-year relationship and they knew that Ginny having cold-feet was impossible; she had been ready to get married long before Harry was and was no where near being afraid of taking that big step. Harry’s story just didn’t make sense; it just didn’t seem…real.

“Did Ron hit you hard and shake something lose?” Neville asked, looking back at Harry.

“No, why?’

“Because none of us can remember Ginny ever breaking up with you,” Sirius answered. 

“Or her being afraid of marriage _to_ break up with you,” James finished. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

“But that’s what I remember,” Harry said firmly. “We were talking one night and she started crying and said she wasn’t ready and told me that she thought we should take a break.”

Neville shook his head. “Something isn’t right.” 

He looked over to the tent and saw Luna busying herself with picking up everything that had fallen due to the fight and the scramble of everyone from under the tent. If anyone would know about Ginny breaking up with Harry because of cold-feet it would be either Luna or Hermione. And since Hermione was no where to be seen, Luna was second-best.

“Luna,” Neville called out, causing her to jump. “Sorry. Could you come here for a moment?”

Luna nodded and dropped everything she had picked up on the table. She hoisted her dress robes to make walking easier and lightly jogged over to where Sirius, James, Neville and Harry were.

“How can I help?” she asked, her voice as dreamy as ever.

“Luna,” Harry started, “do you remember when me and Ginny broke up?”

“Broke up?” She shook her head. “You and Ginny have never separated. You’ve been together for six years, six continuous years.”

“But-” he paused. “Did Ginny ever say anything about being afraid of getting married?”

Luna shook her head and looked at Harry as though he had gone mental. “No. Ginny was more than excited about getting married. She couldn’t wait for today.”

“That’s what I said,” James added. “Ginny couldn’t possibly have broken up with you so I don’t know how you could have a memory of something that did not happen.”

“It seems odd doesn’t is,” Sirius said, folding his arms. “That Harry is the only one who has this memory and every one else’s belief contradict that memory.”

Harry looked at Sirius. That was a very, very valid point. Harry was sure the memory was real but according to every one else. There was no way it could have happened. Was Harry having some kind of pre-wedding mania that idled his brains. Could he have possibly imagined the whole thing? No, that would be just as bad as _actually_ doing it. But even if he did imagine it, how could Cho and Molly do what they did?

Harry felt his head swing in confusion. This day was seeming to get worse. Just as everything had settled, something else had to happen and blow everything off balance again. Harry felt himself get worried and desperate. He couldn’t let Ginny go like that. He couldn’t lose her. He had to figure out what was going on. What could have possibly happened to make him think he slept with Cho? Then, Harry had a revelation and jumped up, almost knocking Neville in the ribs.

“What time is it?” he asked hastily.

“4:24,” Luna replied, checking her watch. “4:25 now.”

“Great. I have some time,” Harry said, ruffling his hair. “Look, if Ginny comes back - which I really hope she does - tell her I’ve gone to try and sort all this stuff out. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“Where are you-”

“No time to talk, dad,” Harry said, cutting off James mid-sentence and then walking away from them. “I should be back in about an hour or two.”

Harry jogged for a few steps and then disappeared. Sirius and James exchanged looks and Neville continued to stare at the spot where Harry disappeared.

“I hope he comes back quickly,” Luna said as she started to walk away. “Don’t want nargles getting to him.”

James arched an eyebrow as he watched Luna walk towards the house.

“Is that child mental?” he asked, looking at Neville.

Neville chuckled. “Luna’s just very…eccentric,” he replied with a dreamy expression.

Sirius looked at him weirdly and then something registered to him. “Go Neville!” he cheered, patting Neville on his back. “You like her.”

Neville smiled but said, “No I don’t.”

Sirius shook his head disbelievingly and he and James followed Luna towards the house. Neville rubbed at his back where Sirius had hit him and continued to watch them.

“I love her.” 

Neville sighed as he repeated the words in his head and then made his way towards the house.  That was now two people who deciphered that he had feelings for Luna. If only Luna could figure that out. Neville sighed as he walked through the kitchen door. With his luck, Luna would never figure it out and he’d be left wondering if a relationship between them would ever happen.

_____________________________________________________________________

_Coming up... **[...Something Borrowed...]**_

 


	8. Something Borrowed

 

** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

_  
“The leaves of memory seemed to make a mournful rustling in the dark.” _

_                                                            -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  _   


**_[...Something Borrowed...]_ **

 

“Sit there and explain to me what just happened,” Arthur Weasley demanded.

He flung Ron into a chair and stared down at him. He wasn’t angry but he wasn’t necessarily happy either. He was trying to figure out why he had just witnessed his son beating on his best friend. It wasn’t like those two to argue, much less have an all-out tussle but yet when he had arrived, Arthur Weasley had to struggle to pull his son off of Harry. Now, he wanted to know why. 

Ron sat fuming as he stared at his father. He was angry beyond words, proof positive of the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to say anything without shouting. Strangely enough, his father allowed him to scream and rant, just so long as Ron told him what happened. When Ron was done, he sat back in his chair, looking more ruffled then had been a few moments before.

“So you’re telling me,” started Arthur, sitting down to the table, “that you overheard Cho and Harry talking about how they had sex?” 

“I did,” Ron replied, clenching his jaw to prevent himself from saying something reproachful. Instead, he chose to watch Luna as she entered the kitchen and took a seat in a chair at the far end of the kitchen. 

“So you decided to punch him?” Arthur asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“And then had an all out brawl?”

“Guess so.”

“Without finding out if it was true?”

Ron couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “ _What the bloody hell was I supposed to think when it was as good as a downright confession?_ ” He jumped up, slammed his fist on the table and yelled, “Harry cheated on Ginny dad! You should be questioning him not me!”

“Ronald-”

“No one believes that Harry would do something like that,” James interrupted, walking into the kitchen with Sirius and Neville right behind him.

“Of course you would think that,” Ron jeered, eying James, “with you being his bloody dad and all.”

“Whether I’m his father or not I know the kind of person Harry is,” James said calmly, sitting down across from Arthur. “I know my son would never do anything to intentionally hurt Ginny.”

“I thought so to. But you saw how he didn’t try to deny what he did,” Ron said, sitting back down. 

No one said anything and Ron went quiet. Nobody had ever seen him this angry. His face was red and flushed from his rage and there was a vein popping in his forehead. His jaw was clasped so tightly that it looked as though it was wired shut and his fists were balled up just as securely, as though there was a prize within them that he was not ready to set free.

“Ron,” Sirius started, when the silence became unbearable, “it does seem a bit suspicious that Harry has this memory that contradicts what we believe.”

“What do you mean?” Ron asked, looking at Sirius with a questioning look. 

“Well,” James answered, “Harry seems to think that this affair with Cho happened at a point where he and Ginny had split over fear of getting married.” 

“But that’s preposterous,” Ron said, getting angrier instead of reassured. “Neither of them has ever been afraid of getting married. This is just some bull-shot story concocted to keep Harry out of hot water.”

“No it’s not, Ron,” said Luna. She had been watching quietly from afar but stood up as she said this and walked over to take a seat at the table. “It’s not just a made up story.”

Neville nodded his head in agreement. “Ron, Harry seriously believes that that’s what happened. He says this memory is there but it just doesn’t feel…right.”

Ron looked at Neville but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t understand what they were saying to him. Were they trying to tell him that Harry had thought he and Ginny had split up and that drove him to sleep with Cho? 

“It just doesn’t make sense,” he finally uttered.

“Exactly the point Ronald,” Sirius said, throwing his hands up. “It’s just too bizarre to believe.”

“So where’s Harry now?” Ron asked, looking around as though he had overlooked Harry’s presence in the room. “Why isn’t he here trying to defend himself?”

“Harry’s gone to try and figure out the truth,” Neville responded. “He said he should be back in about an hour or two.”

Ron nodded and stood up. He had to go clear his head and so he pushed open the back door and walked outside. The sun was beginning to set and the sky had turned a bleeding red. Ron glanced down at his watch, which read 5:54 P.M. and then stuck his hands in his pockets. Harry had until at least 7 o’clock to be back and for his sake, he had better come back with some answers. Or else Ron wouldn’t be as nice as last time.  _____________________________________________________________________________________________

The sunset illuminated the sky eerily behind Harry as he stood transfixed in front of his parent’s home. This had been the first place he chose to look for his mother; he knew she had to have some kind of play in this. It just seemed too likely that if there was a plan to destroy his relationship with Ginny, his mother would jump on the opportunity to do so. And if Molly Weasley was involved, his mother had to be as well.

Harry heaved an irritated sigh, trying to relinquish all his anger so that he wouldn’t over react; it would only make things more difficult if he did. Finally, he pushed open the front gate and walked the path of the stone steps that lead to the front door. Choosing not to knock, he unlocked the front door using the _Alohomora_ charm and then walked inside. The house was in darkness except for a few lit candles that cast shadows on the walls. 

“Anybody here?” he spoke through the darkness.

“Ah, Harry dear,” a voice spoke and Molly Weasley appeared in the doorway. She raised her wand and the lights came on fully. “I knew it wouldn’t be long before you came.”

Not surprised at all to see her, Harry said firmly, “Where’s my mother?”

“Right here,” Lily Potter replied, appearing next to Molly, followed predictably by Cho Chang. “Finally came to your senses?”

Harry ignored her comment. “What’s going on here?” He gave them a stern look but all three played the fool.

“What do you mean, dear?” Molly asked as innocently as possible. “We were just having a spot of tea.”

“Cut the crap Mrs. Weasley,” Harry yelled. He had not time for fake pleasantries. He wanted, no he _needed_ answers and he was going to get them. “I want to know why it is I seem to think that I had an affair with Cho.”

“Because you did, Harry,” Cho replied, stepping out of the line. “Don’t you remember?”

“Yeah I do,” Harry said, looking her straight in the eye but with a not so pleasant expression, “but strangely enough I have a hard time believing it.”

Cho gave a slight chuckle. “How can you not believe what’s in your own mind, Harry? That’s just a brush of insanity.”

“Better insane, than delusional,” Harry pelted at her. “I don’t know how it happened or why but I know it didn’t happen as easily as you’re trying to make it seem. So I want to know now how it is that we could have possibly slept together.”

“Because the truth is you care more about me than Ginny.”

Harry gave a bitter laugh. “Like bloody hell I do.”

“Cho’s a better choice,” Lily interrupted, walking over to Harry and touching his arm. “She’ll let you live your life like you’re supposed to.”

“I am living my life like I’m supposed to,” Harry retorted, “and I’m going to live that life with Ginny. Now tell me the truth!”

“The truth is that you want Cho. You always have and you always will.”

“I want Ginny!” Harry clenched his jaw and suppressed an urge to hex Cho, who was standing there with a malicious grin on her face. 

“I’m your mother,” Lily responded, her voice becoming stern. “I know what’s best for you!”

Harry felt the anger boil inside of him. How could she know what’s best for him when she was here trying to take away the one thing in his life that he truly wanted and force him into something he clearly did not want to be apart of? Her hand on his arm started to irritate him and Harry flung it off and faced her fully. His voice became cold and harsh as he spoke.

“You’re no mother of mine.”

Lily Potter’s stern demeanor quickly melted away and she felt a rush of tears fill her eyes. The look on Harry’s face was piercing her and the words he just spoke hit her like a whetted and cold knife. Her pride and joy, her own son - whom she loved more than anything in the world - had just disowned her. It was the breaking point and Lily Potter couldn’t stop the wave of tears from falling down her cheeks.

“It wasn’t my idea,” she blurted out unexpectedly, her voice breaking into incoherent sobs. “It wasn’t – I didn’t want – be happy – couldn’t face it – I couldn’t handle-”

“Get a hold of yourself Lily.” Molly Weasley had emerged beside her and was shaking her. This, however, only made Lily Potter’s regression worse and she sobbed louder and yanked herself out of Molly’s grasp.

“I modified your memory, Harry,” she confessed.

“You did what?!?”

Lily nodded as fresh tears fell. “I did it when you were leaving for the Burrow. That’s why I stopped you on the stairs and why it seemed as though nothing happened during our those few moments. I modified your memory and then just walked past you. It was a bit of a messy job but it worked all the same. And we tried to do the same to Ginny, you know, make her think the same thing you did, about the break up. But there wasn’t enough time and we had to do our best to go with what we had. And it seemed to have been effective-”

“Until now,” Molly said bitterly, looking at Lily disapprovingly.

“I had no choice!” Lily cried at her. “You heard what he told me. He said I wasn’t his mother. I can’t lose my son. It’s the exact thing I was trying to avoid by getting into this mess.”

“You did it because you were afraid of losing me?” Harry asked, his anger subsiding slightly but being replaced by resentment.

Lily nodded and looked at him. “I was so afraid that if you married Ginny, she would take you away from me and I would lose my only son.”

“And I suppose that’s why you did it as well, Mrs. Weasley?”

Molly, who had remained stern, seemed to have broken as well when Harry looked at her. She gazed at him remorsefully and a frown formed on her face.

“Oh Harry dear, I have the same fear as your mother. Ginny is my only girl and my youngest.” She shook her head as if to shake away the threat of tears. “I couldn’t stand the possibility of losing her or that she would need me anymore.”

“So, because of this ridiculous fear,” Harry said, closing his eyes to contain his anger, “you resorted to something so elaborate and so snide as to create a fake memory so that Ginny would be so furious with me she would end it?”

Lily and Molly nodded but dare not speak.

“That’s just selfish,” Harry spat at them. “And how could you think for one minute that I’d chose her,” he said, jerking his hand towards Cho.

"You chose me once before didn’t you?” Cho said, folding her arms.

“That was a long time ago,” Harry said, looking at her pointedly. “And it will be a mistake I dare not repeat.”

Cho gasped as though insulted and unfolded her arms. “I’ve been through hell and back and I went along with this bloody plan and all I get in the end is insults and petty jabs?” She stared at Lily and Molly. “You promised me Harry!”

“A grave mistake,” Molly said with unmistakable regret in her voice.

“And a promise we will not keep,” Lily shot at her, finally composing herself. 

Cho made to grab her wand as if she was ready to duel for Harry but before she had even managed to extract it, she looked up to see two pointing at her. Even though their faces were tear-stained, the angered and severe look no their faces were obvious.

“I think it’s best you leave Ms. Chang,” Lily said, stepping closer to her, “if you know what’s best for you.”

“No,” Harry quickly shouted, pushing down his mother’s hand. “We need her.”

“Oh, Harry I knew you couldn’t let me-”

“Not for that!” Cho jumped at the boom of Harry’s voice but Harry ignored her sad attempt for pity and said, “You’re going to tell Ginny the truth mom and Cho’s coming to prove it.”

Harry quickly grabbed Cho by her upper arm, ignoring her screeches as though he was hurting her. Lily and Molly obliged to Harry’s insisting on returning to the Burrow to tell everyone the truth and the four of them left the house quickly. 

Harry prayed, as they walked down the stone path towards the gate, that it was not too late.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

“Neville, why do you look so happy?” Luna asked, turning to face him. 

Neville started a bit and looked at Luna. Everyone in the kitchen had resolved to being absorbed in their own thoughts after Ron had left to go outside. James, Sirius and Arthur were conversing in low whispers. Fred and George, who had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation, were watching them, stopping once in a while to say something to each other. Luna had sat humming an unrecognizable song and only just noticed that Neville had been sitting next to her with a slight smile on his face.

“What do you mean?” he answered, his smile getting bigger.

“Well,” she said, “your smiling when there’s nothing really going on.”

“I’m just thinking.”

“Oh really,” said Luna, turning sideways in her chair. “What about?”

Neville stammered a bit. He couldn’t come right out and tell her what he was thinking about; it would seem tactless, ridiculous almost. He had been thinking about how Sirius had picked up on his feelings for Luna and how he had finally come to the realization that he was in love with her. He couldn’t exactly tell her that he was also thinking about what would happen the day he confessed all of this to her; how he imagined she would smile that dreamy smile of hers and say ‘I love you too’ and how they would walk down the aisle together a few months later. Luckily, his need to answer was interrupted when Remus appeared suddenly at the door and walked in, his face wearing a rare smile.

“Hey, where’s Ginny?” he asked slightly out of breath and not noticing when Ron came up behind him; the sound of Ron’s voice startled him a bit.

“We don’t know,” Ron said, walking back into the kitchen. “We’re waiting on Harry too.”

“I thought he was here?” Remus asked, utterly confused. Ron shook his head to say no and Remus asked, “Well where is he? Did something happen?”

“Well, Remus,” Fred said, “let’s just say that when you sent me and George here back-”

“- we returned to find that things were not exactly,” George paused for a moment then continued, “pleasant.”

“See things just kind of-”

"- went haywire-”

“- so we’re all just here-”

“- waiting to see what comes about.” 

“Excuse me?” Remus said, not at all informed by Fred and George’s explanation.

Arthur shushed Fred who had just attempted to explain what happened. He turned to Remus and told him the story, ending to where they were all waiting to see who turns up first to figure out what’s going to happen to the wedding.

“But I mean, it sounds like a simple misunderstanding,” Remus commented, looking at everyone one by one.

“No,” Ron interjected, “it sounds as if Harry’s a great big git who needs to get his face bashed in one more time.”

“That’s real mature Ronald,” Arthur chastised.

Ron scowled but sat down and stayed quiet nonetheless. Remus was still a bit unsure about what was happening, as was everyone else. The room stayed quiet for a few moments until Ginny and Hermione arrived suddenly, slightly damp and smelling of salty sea water. Ron jumped up immediately and walked over to them.

“Where the bloody hell have you two been?” he asked, staring mainly at Hermione but it was Ginny who answered.

“Thinking,” she said, noticing how Hermione was avoiding Ron’s gaze by drying the sleeve of her robe. “We would have been back sooner but I wanted to calm down for a bit.”

“You could’ve at least told someone. We were worried sick!” Ron continued to look at Hermione but she paid no attention to him. 

“I don’t need your reprimands Ron,” Ginny scolded. “Where’s Harry?”

“He’s not here,” Ron replied. “Do you need help with that?” Ron asked Hermione, noticing that she was having trouble reaching a part of her robes to dry them off.

“I’m fine, Ron,” she said a little too harshly. “I can handle things on my own you know!”

Ron’s anger returned. “I bet you would like to handle _everything_ on your own wouldn’t you? Good old independent Hermione; doesn’t need anyone, even when they have a role to play too.”

“Ron I don-”

“Will you two please quit it for two seconds?” Ginny shouted. “Now,” she said, turning back to everyone else, “did Harry say where he was going?”

“Not exactly,” James replied.

Ginny nodded absentmindedly. So Harry just left? Just like that? Didn’t stay to try and redeem himself, just up and left? The thought didn’t sit too well with Ginny and she suddenly felt even more betrayed.

“Ginny,” Remus said, shaking her from her thoughts. “I have some good news.”

Strangely, Ginny didn’t get excited. “What is it?”

Remus took out a small box, a ring box by the look of it. “I found the rings.” He handed the small package over. “Well they’re not you and Harry’s but they are wedding rings nonetheless. They were my parent’s own that they left to me when they died. I know it’s not exactly what you wanted but I figured they were elegant enough. You could use them to fill that old wedding cliché, you know, something old, something new-”

“Something borrowed, something blue,” Ginny finished. “They’re beautiful, Remus.”

Remus smiled, pleased with himself. “I thought you’d like them.”

Ginny looked down at the rings. They were gold with tiny, perfectly cut diamonds placed in the bands. The bride’s ring had a triple-sized diamond elevated in the center and glistened when Ginny tipped it slightly to examine it better. 

The rings, which would give any bride-to-be an elated feeling, only made the bulge in Ginny’s throat drop to her stomach. She was disappointed knowing that Harry had left instead of waiting around to talk to her and felt stupid that she had made an effort to come back. She looked over at Hermione. It was her idea to come back and try and talk to Harry yet she couldn’t help but feel a pang of anger as she watched Hermione deliberately avert Ron’s gaze and move every time he tried to get her attention. 

She sighed and looked down at the ring. These were supposed to the symbol of her and Harry’s everlasting union, yet he had been out there making other unions of his own. Ginny slammed the box shut and forced it back in Remus’ hand, causing his smile to slip away from his face.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “I thought you liked them.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, blinking back tears. “There’s not going to be a wedding.” She looked around at everyone and, assuring them that they had not misunderstood her, said, “The wedding’s off.”

She turned without so much as another, single glance at anyone else and disappeared up the stairs, her heart getting heavier with each step. It was the last thing she dreamed would happen today - or ever - but she had done it nonetheless. She couldn’t marry Harry. He wanted Cho and now he could have her. 

Finally reaching her bedroom, Ginny slammed the door shut and immediately sank on her bed, burying her face in the pillows and allowing the looming tears to finally fall.

So much for the happiest day of her life.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_ Coming up… **[…Something Blue…]** _   



	9. Something Blue

 

** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

****

  
_"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness."  
_ _\-- Robert Muller_

  
_**[...Something Blue...]** _

Hermione and Luna walked slowly up the stairs, being careful not to make any sudden noises. They had waited in the kitchen for close to half-an-hour after Ginny had left. No words were spoken during those thirty minutes, just utter shock and disbelief at the fact that Ginny would call off the wedding so abruptly. Now, upon the biding of everyone left down in the kitchen - Arthur, James, Sirius, Remus, Neville, Fred, George and Ron - Hermione and Luna were on their way to check on Ginny and hopefully get her to change her mind and at least _talk_ to Harry.

They reached the landing and walked to the end of the hall where Ginny's room was located. Luna was about to open the door but Hermione immediately grabbed her wrist and pushed it down.

"What?" Luna asked, shaking her hand free. "We're going inside aren't we?" She rubbed her wrist and looked at Hermione.

"Yes we are. But we should try to figure out what to say to her," Hermione whispered, pulling Luna away from the door.

"We'll just tell her that we think she should talk to Harry first," Luna replied matter-of-factly. "She can't call off the wedding without telling him first."  
Hermione nodded. "But we should also try to encourage her _not_ to call off the wedding. I don't know about you but I don't believe that Harry slept with Cho."

"Neither do I."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "So we're also going to try and rebuild her confidence about marrying Harry."

Luna nodded and when Hermione didn't grab her hand again, she walked towards the door and knocked on it twice. There was no response, just the sound of muffled sobs. Hermione touched the knob and turned it a bit. She opened the door wide enough to peer inside and saw Ginny lying in her bed, her face turned away from them and her body shaking slightly from crying.

"Ginny," Hermione whispered as she opened the door wider and walked inside. "Ginny. It's Hermione and Luna." She shut the door as Luna walked inside. "We came to talk to you."

Ginny replied with a sob. Luna looked at Hermione and then walked over to the bed. She lightly touched Ginny's shoulder and sat on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

This time, Ginny turned around. "How do you think I'm feeling?" Ginny sat up and wiped her eyes. "Like complete and utter crap!"

Hermione walked towards the bed and folded her arms. "I figured you would be after...” She broke off and bit her bottom lip, not entirely sure what to say.

"After calling off my wedding," Ginny finished without looking at either of them. 

The three remained quiet for a while. Ginny peered out the window, looking at nothing in particular. Luna remained seated, watching Ginny and Hermione continued to bite her lip nervously, lost for words.

"Are you sure that's what you should have done?" Luna finally asked. "Marrying Harry has always been something you dreamed abo-"  
Ginny stood up so unexpectedly that it caused Luna to go quiet.

"Dreams are just that - mere dreams." she said. "They can't all come true."

"But Ginny, this isn't just a dream," Hermione finally spoke up. "You and Harry are meant to be together. Everyone knows that."

"Everyone except him." Ginny began to pace. "If Harry and I are destined to be together why is he of shagging other women? Huh? Why Hermione?"

It was Luna who answered, "Harry loves you. He would never do that."

"He didn't deny it, Luna," Ginny shot at her. "And there are so many things going against this wedding anyway. Just look at these dresses for example." She pointed a shaking finger at the two pink dresses that lay across the bed. "Even they're against this wedding. It's just not supposed to happen."

"You don't believe that?" Luna asked, walking over to where the dresses were.

"What else am I supposed to believe?" Ginny said, looking at Luna as she examined the dresses.

"That Harry would never do anything to hurt you," Hermione answered. "That's what you are supposed to believe. No one downstairs thinks that Harry did it on purpose; some of us even think that he didn't do it at all. Well, except for Ron. He's being such a big git, a total idiot and a complete arse about all of this. Why he had to punch Harry I do not know. Always over-reacting and causing some big scene-"

Luna and Ginny looked at each other as Hermione continued to rant. Luna was looking lost so she just continued to examine the dresses, putting herself out of the conversation. Ginny, however, knew exactly what was going on. Hermione was on edge about her pregnancy and the fact that the baby was for Ron, one of her best friends for more than ten years. It was no wonder, now, why she was being so hostile towards Ron. She was scared out of her mind and being mad at him was her defense mechanism for dealing with the situation.

"- I swear I don't know what he was thinking. He’s just so-"

"When are you going to stop being mad at Ron?" interrupted Ginny. 

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, coming out of her rant.

Ginny folded her arms and arched an eyebrow at her. "Ron's done nothing wrong. He's only been trying to help you and being a protective brother towards me. He doesn't deserve to be treated like this."

"Ron's insufferable."

"And you're downright hostile," Ginny said, unfolding her arms. "Talk to him Hermione. This isn't something that's just going to go away."

Hermione stood staring at Ginny. She was getting angry. Her chest was heaving as she breathed and her fists were closed tightly. She looked just about ready to attack Ginny. She was just about to say something when a knock drew her attention to the door.

"Who is it?"

The door opened and Ron walked inside. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Ginny, Luna and then turned his gaze to Hermione where it stayed.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

Hermione unclenched her fists and looked away. "We have nothing to discuss."

"Hermione..." Ginny said warningly. 

Hermione looked at her and then sighed, "Fine."

She walked towards the door, taking care to avoid brushing against Ron as she walked outside. Ron nodded towards Ginny and followed Hermione outside, closing the door behind them.

Ginny shook her head, "Those two are just so...I don't even know."

"I did it!"

Ginny spun around at the words, confused about what Luna could possibly mean. She turned to see Luna standing by the bed, her wand in her hand and a smile on her face. Luna pointed towards the dresses and Ginny suddenly realized that they were no longer pink, but the baby blue she had intended. Even more so, they now contained a dark blue, silk sash that tied around the waist.

"How did you-"

"A mixture of a few spells did it," Luna said, stowing her wand behind her ear. "It was fairly simple too."

Ginny walked over to her. "They look great."

Luna nodded. "So if the dresses can be fixed, the wedding can be as well." Ginny looked at her and she continued, "Harry deserves at least a chance to explain. Give it to him."

Ginny didn't respond; she kept her focus on the dresses instead. She had to admit that she was delighted to see that they were now fixed, and it did give her an inkling of hope that her and Harry's relationship could be fixed as well.

______________________________________________________________________________ 

"So," Hermione started, "what do you want to talk about?"

Ron looked around. They were standing in Ron's room which was the second closest one to the landing. It was far up enough to not be overheard by those downstairs and far away enough that neither Ginny nor Luna could hear. For better concealment and privacy, Ron pointed his wand at the door and said " _Muffliato!”_ Whoever came near the door would only hear buzzing instead of actual words. 

Hermione folded her arms impatiently and cleared her throat. After casting the spell, Ron had resolved to turning his wand over in his hands and looked behind Hermione rather than at her. But at the sound of her clearing her throat, he looked straight at her.

"Why have you been so angry towards me, Hermione?" Ron asked with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "I haven't done anything to deserve it."

"So impregnating me is nothing then?" Hermione asked bitterly.

"Not to be shouted at no." Hermione gave a sarcastic laugh and Ron continued, "It's a great thing, Hermione." He extended his hands and held her gently by her arms. "We're going to have a baby. We should celebrate this. Not be at each other's throats and keeping the truth away from everyone."

"It's not that easy, Ron," Hermione yelled, yanking her person away from Ron and walking closer to the door. "Having a baby is not as simple as you think!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Ron said, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "I've been with Fleur and Bill trying to take care of Victoire. I've helped Harry with Teddy whenever he was looking after him. I know what raising a baby entails, which is exactly why I think we should be together so we can raise this baby together." Hermione remained quiet although Ron could tell she was bursting to say something. He continued, "All this fighting isn't healthy. And keeping this a secret isn't a good idea either. A pregnancy is not something you can hide."

"I know Ron," Hermione blurted. "I know that I won't be able to hide this pregnancy forever. I know the time will come when everyone will find out about it."

"So then what's the issue?" Ron yelled, losing his calm voice.  


_"I'm scared!"_ she yelled back, her voice breaking as she started to cry. "I'm just so scared."

Ron finally put his wand back in his pocket and walked closer to her. He wanted to reach out and hug her. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to wipe her tears away. But the fact that she stepped back slightly when he moved towards her stopped him from reaching out. Instead he just stood a few feet away from her.

"What are you afraid of?"

Hermione sniffled a bit and wiped her eyes before answering, "I'm scared because I'm not sure I know if I'm ready to have a baby. I don't know if I'm ready to take on such a heavy responsibility."

"The thing about that is," Ron started, "you won't have to do it alone. I have a role in this too. That's why we should be in this," he paused and looked directly into her eyes, "together."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, Ron. Us being together would do just that."

"News flash, Hermione, we're not just friends." He took a chance and stepped closer to her; this time she did not retreat. "We crossed that boundary the minute we kissed." He moved even closer, this time touching her cheek. "We became more than friends that night we made love."

Hermione closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh before opening them again. "Ron I don't know-"

He silenced her by placing a finger to her lips. He didn't want her to talk. He wanted to show her just what he meant. He leaned in and placed his lips to hers, kissing her softly and so passionately that it was easy to realize what he meant when he said they were no longer just friends. 

The kiss grew intense and Hermione found herself melting into it. Ron was indeed no longer just a friend. He was a lover. He was a companion. He was hers. But the thought didn't comfort her; it only scared her more. She was always one so afraid of losing people, of losing friends and this was a sure way to compromise their friendship that was already on shaky ground. Hermione pulled away from the kiss and backed away, right into the door. She felt her face and found that she had shed a few more tears.

"We can't Ron," she said so softly that if Ron wasn't right in front of her he would not have heard. "We just can't."

She didn't wait for him to say anything. She just turned and opened the door, sliding out of it before Ron could stop her. She wiped her eyes frantically as she walked back towards Ginny's bedroom. She paused outside the door and heard another one close. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Ron stop on the landing by the stairs and look at her for a few quiet moments before walking down the steps. She exhaled and pushed open the door to see Ginny and Luna sitting on the bed. Ginny was smiling and Luna was humming.

"What did Ron want?" Luna asked, noticing Hermione first.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing important." She sat down on the bed. 

"Good news. I convinced Ginny to talk to Harry," Luna said happily.

Hermione looked up. "How?"

Ginny pointed to the dresses and Hermione saw that they were now the right colour. She smiled and realized that it was the possibility that things could be fixed which really made Ginny change her mind.

"Well at least you have everything now," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"Well, the cliché Remus was talking about," Hermione replied, standing up. "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."

Luna nodded. "That's right. You have all your old friends here to share this moment with you and your dress in which you are to be married is new."

"And the rings Remus brought are something borrowed."

Ginny stood up. "And these dresses are something blue."

Hermione nodded and Ginny hugged her. She had something else new as well - the possibility that things would indeed be alright.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Arthur, James, Sirius, Remus, Neville Fred and George sat in the kitchen. Neville, Fred and George were passing the time by keeping a piece of parchment afloat and the two fathers, Remus and Sirius were simply watching them, admiring their desire to be playful kids even in the midst of a crisis. The sound of footsteps drew their attention and they saw Ron descending the stairs. He took a seat next to George and leaned his chair back on two legs.

"Everything alright?" Sirius asked him.

Ron shrugged. He had hoped it would be but now he wasn't so sure. He was about to answer them when a sound drew all their attention to the kitchen doorway. The sound caused Ron to slam the chair on all four legs and drew Neville, Fred and George's attention as well, causing the piece of parchment to glide gracefully to the floor. Harry, Molly, Lily and Cho had just Apparated into the kitchen.

"Molly," Arthur said, standing up and walking over to his wife. "Where have you been?"

"Arthur darling," she said, immediately resolving to tears, "Can you ever forgive me?"

"Forgive you for betraying your own daughter?” Arthur asked. He had turned bitter and looked at Molly disapprovingly.

James stood up as well and walked next to Arthur. His gaze however, was fixed on Lily who was standing staring at him with sad eyes. She too looked as though she would break down into tears again but stopped only when Ron's sudden outburst brought them back to reality.

"YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF?" he shouted, eying Harry with the same look he had gotten right before he had attacked Harry.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, ignoring Ron's shouts.

"She's upstairs," Neville replied, the calmest of the lot.

"Whoa! Hold it!" Fred said, stepping in front of Harry who had made a move towards the stairs. 

"You can't see her just yet," George said. "First, you have to explain to us what's going on."

"George," Arthur interjected, "Harry has a right to see Ginny."

"Not anymore," George replied. "Not now that Ginny's called off the wedding."

"She did what?" Harry asked. He was in such disbelief that it had come out lower than a whisper.

"She called off the wedding. Not too long ago actually. After she saw you didn't come back." Harry looked at Sirius who continued, "She thinks you left to be with Cho so she just called it off."

Harry felt his head spin. She had done what he feared she would do. He was no longer engaged. He had lost her. He had lost Ginny.

"HA!" a cackle sounded from by the door. "Don't you see Harry?" Cho asked, walking towards him. "You're free. You can be with me now, just like you've always wanted."

"I never wanted you, Cho," Harry said with a tone of finality. He looked up at Arthur and asked, "Can I please talk to Ginny?"

"She doesn't want you Harry," Cho persisted. "She called off the wedding."

"SHUT UP, CHO!" 

The outburst was so loud that Cho jumped back and knocked down a few pots and pans that were hanging above the stove. They flew to the ground with such loud clanks and pings that everyone covered their ears against the sound. Molly swished her wand and the pots and pans stopped making noise and floated back onto their hooks. Everyone unclogged their ears and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is all the noise really necessary?"

Everyone spun towards the voice to see Ginny, Hermione and Luna standing on the stairs, watching everyone with curiosity. Ginny stepped from off the last step and spotted Cho standing near the stove, Molly and Lily a few feet away from her and Harry next to them, near to where Fred and George were. 

"Ginny," Harry said thankfully. He walked close to her and looked at her pleadingly. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Come to tell me that you've chosen Cho?" Ginny asked bitterly. She didn't mean it but she felt that she wanted to hurt Harry, just as he had hurt her.

"No," he replied. "No I haven't."

"You should choose-"

"Weren't you told to shut up?" Ron said, stepping so close to Cho that she backed up a few inches.

Harry looked at Ron with a grateful look and then turned back to Ginny. She was staring at him with her arms folded and with such a strong glare that he felt ready to retreat. But he stood firm and spoke with as strong a voice as he could muster.

"Look, I know that you think I betrayed you but the truth is," he paused and sighed, then continued, "I never slept with Cho."

Ginny unfolded her arms and said, "Harry I rea-"

"No just let me explain," Harry said, causing Ginny to go quiet. "It was fake. All of it. It never really happened."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked. "You didn't deny it when I asked you. You tried to apologize and everything, Harry."

"I know I did but I just didn't-" He broke off, unsure of how to explain it. "I didn't-"

"Harry let me explain," Lily said, interrupting Harry's attempts.

"Explain what?" Ginny asked, getting impatient. "Can someone just tell me what's going on?'

Lily looked at Molly and, taking turns, they explained everything. Lily told them how they concocted the plan to make Harry think he slept with Cho and how she planted the fake memory. Molly explained how they wanted to break up Ginny and Harry for selfish reasons and how they had promised Cho that she could have Harry when they were done. They also explained how they had done it for fear of losing their children long before they were really ready to. At the end of the explanation, everyone looked at him with disapproving eyes.

"Molly, "Arthur said, shaking his head, "How could you do something like that?"

"And you too Lily," James added. "I figure you two would be the last set of people to stand in the way of your children's dreams."

"I know," they said simultaneously. 

"It was a grave mistake," Molly said, looking at Ginny. "I'm really sorry."

"As am I," Lily said, blinking her eyes to stop the tears.

"See, Ginny," Harry said, looking at her. "It was never true. I thought it was because of the fake memory. I would never, ever do something like that to you." He took her hand. "Ever."

"This isn't fair!" Cho blurted. "I'm supposed to be with Harry! I DESERVE HIM!"  


_"Stupefy!"_

Cho's body fell to the ground with a loud, audible _thump_ and everyone blinked in bewilderment. But when they turned to look at Harry and Ginny, they saw Ginny lowering her wand and staring intently at the spot where Cho had been standing. 

"Ginny!" Molly reprimanded.

"She was getting on my nerves," Ginny said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears. 

Harry laughed and Ginny looked at him and smiled. She turned her entire body towards him and then linked her fingers with his. 

"I'm so sorry for all of this confusion and mess, Ginny."

"I forgive you."

Harry smiled and Ginny leaned in to kiss him. Everyone let out an 'awww' as they watched the two fall into a long, passionate kiss that lasted for a few, quiet moments. After a few more seconds, they pulled away. 

"I love you," Harry said and Ginny replied, "I love you, too."

Ginny smiled and pecked his lips before walking over to where Cho's body was. She aimed her wand and said _, "Rennervate_!" Cho stirred and then stood up quickly, keeping an eye on Ginny's wand.

"You have two minutes to leave," Ginny said without hesitation. "You're to leave here without turning back and you're to stay away from me, Harry and anyone else we know. Or else you'll have some serious trouble on your hands."

Cho looked at Ginny then averted her eyes to look at everyone else. They were staring at her with such a piercing look that it was only by a strong will she did not recoil. She looked back at Ginny and, without a word, left the kitchen, disappearing the second she stepped over the threshold. 

Ginny turned around and looked at everyone. They looked as though they were waiting for something in particular. Harry had emerged from the crowd and was standing in front them, an anxious look on his face. Knowing what they were waiting for, Ginny smiled and nodded her head.

"The wedding is back on."

Everyone erupted into cheers. Arthur took hold of Molly and whispered _'all is forgiven'_ before planting a kiss on her cheek. James did the same to Lily and then pulled her into a tight hug. Sirius and Remus stood laughing as they watched Fred and George conduct a dance that entailed them hoping on alternate legs and singing irregular sounds rather than actual words. Neville stood smiling but his eyes were focused on Luna who was beaming at Harry and Ginny. Ron stared at Hermione who held his gaze for a few seconds and then turned to look at Harry and Ginny, a small smile forming. 

Ginny looked around at everyone. She couldn't believe that after all the bad things that had happened today, everything was back to the way it should be. She glanced at the clock that read 8:25 P.M. and calculated the time left until the wedding. She had three hours and thirty-five minutes left till she would say 'I do' to Harry and every single moment counted. Every single one.

_______________________________________________________________________________  


_Coming up..._ ** _[...After All Is Said And Done...]_**

 


	10. After All Is Said and Done

****

**A/N:** _ I want to apologize for taking so long to update but school started and it is a really heavy work load but I am done with the last two posts for the story and here they are (separated of course). Enjoy! _

 

 

** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING **

_ “Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fall apart, that’s true strength.”  _

_ \--Anonymous  _

**_ […After All Is Said and Done…] _ **

10:28 P.M.

Ginny looked at the clock, a slight smile on her face, and contemplated the fact that a little over an hour was left before she would become Mrs. Harry James Potter. The thought stirred butterflies in her stomach and she exhaled deeply, feeling a rush of excitement, anxiety and restlessness all at the same time. She closed her eyes and took a few more deep breaths before opening them again. 

She was sitting in front of the vanity mirror, a look of complete relaxation on her face. She had just finished magiking a hairstyle that involved a lot of long, tight curls that bounced with even the slightest head motion. Her makeup was done, consisting of a light base, eyeliner, a dab of light blue eye-shadow, and a casual, glossy lip. She was never one for elaborate makeup and, therefore, fresh, natural look suited her best. 

She placed her wand onto the counter and turned to survey the room. Her bouquet of flowers was lying on the edge of the bed closest to her and her magnificent dress was hanging on the closet door. The thought of walking down the aisle in that dress, walking towards the man she loved, came rushing to her mind. 

“Aw, your hair looks so beautiful!”

The sound of a door closing followed the voice and Ginny spun towards it to see both Luna and Hermione already dressed in their bridesmaid’s gowns. Luna had done a perfect job in changing the color from the horrible pink to the perfect shade of blue that Ginny had wanted in the first place. Both of them had their hair pinned back with an elegant silver clip that was adorned with dark blue flowers to match the sash of the dress.

“You two look amazing,” Ginny said, standing up, “just like I imagined.”

Hermione smiled. “Well we all knew you have good taste. Why aren’t you dressed yet anyway? We’re supposed to be downstairs by at least 10:40.”

Ginny nodded. “I know I was just taking it all in.”

“Not getting cold feet are you?” Luna asked, fixing a patch of hair that was not secured in her silver hair-clip. 

“No,” Ginny said, “far from it. I just was savoring the moment. I want to remember everything about today. All the emotions, the excitement, the anxiety -”

“The anger, the resentment, the tears,” Luna added, counting on her fingers as she said each word. She looked at Ginny and laughed before saying, “You have had possibly the most exciting wedding day ever Ginny.”

Ginny couldn’t help but smile. Today was indeed…eventful, for want of a better word. All of her plans had begun to fall apart at the seams and she had come unbearably close to losing Harry altogether. But now, everything was back in order and she was just a few steps away from marrying Harry. 

“Come on,” Hermione started, shaking Ginny from her thoughts, “let’s get you dressed.”

Luna removed the dress from the door of the closet and walked over to Ginny. After a few moments of fastening, buttoning and adjusting, Ginny was finally dressed in her delicate wedding gown. The bodice was made of white satin except for the area around the breast, which was pure organza lined with silver-floral embroidery. The full, ball-gown-sized skirt was also organza embellished with silver-floral accents. Once adorned with her organza veil, Ginny turned towards Hermione and Luna who both wore expressions of complete satisfaction.

“Perfect!” Hermione exclaimed, flattening the veil more as she did so.

Just then, the door to the room opened and closed again, revealing Molly Weasley and Lily Potter. Both women looked stunning; although they were dressed in regular, formal wizarding robes, they seemed to sparkle and shine with a radiance that could only emanate from mothers of the bride and groom. 

“You look absolutely stunning.” Molly walked over to her daughter. “Reminds me of how I looked on my wedding day.” Ginny smiled and Molly looked at her. “I’m so sorry about trying to prevent this Ginny.”

“It’s alright mum,” Ginny said, touching Molly’s shoulder. “That’s behind us now.”

Molly nodded but the tears swelled anyway. “I know you and Harry will be very happy dear.”

“As do I,” Lily added, moving to stand next to Hermione. “He loves you whole-heartedly and I know that will _never_ change.”

Ginny smiled at Lily and then hugged her mother who was sobbing into a handkerchief. She knew that tears were going to accompany many people at this wedding and was prepared for it, hoping that she herself would not break down and cry. In any event, as she continued to hug her mother, the tears threatened to fall and she closed her eyes, inwardly wondering if Harry was feeling as overwhelmed as she was.

_________________________________________________________________________

Harry exhaled deeply, over and over again and kept his eyes focused on one particular crack in a tile on Ron’s floor. He was trying desperately not to think about the wedding or it would cause him a wave of nervousness and anxiety that he was not comfortable with. The story of how the crack got there came flooding to his mind as a distraction. 

He and Ron had been wrestling Fred and George after a cruel trick was played on them that involved a gnome and some badly concocted potion. Somehow, during their grapple they had overturned the breakfast trays Mrs. Weasley had brought and knocked over one of Ron’s night tables, cracking the tile on impact. Luckily, Mrs. Weasley was not home at the time and therefore, the one person who came rushing into the room was Ginny.

Unfortunately, the thought of that day brought the thought of Ginny to Harry’s mind and his stomach seemed to double in the amount of butterflies and his heart began to beat faster. He was so nervous yet excited at the same time and his current state of restlessness was proof positive that those two emotions were not a good combination.

“Harry, are you alright?” 

Harry looked up at Ron who had been busy adjusting his tie and was now staring at him, a look of concern in his face. Neville was right behind him, along with Sirius, James, and Remus, all fully dressed and looking at Harry with an apprehensive gaze. 

Harry shook his head and managed to say, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

James smiled and shook his head. “You’ll be fine son. It’s just nerves.”

“Yeah you would know all about that,” Sirius commented, looking at James. “You actually _did_ throw up an hour before your wedding.”

“Oh I remember that,” Remus said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You thought it was some kind of bad omen and practically went mental.”

“Remember how he almost strangled one of cousins?” Sirius said, bursting with laughter.

“Ah yes,” Remus said, his mouth curving into a grin. “James nearly killed him because he kept walking up and down the aisle even though the wedding hadn’t started yet.”

“I thought we were discussing Harry, not me.” 

James looked at his two best friends who were busy keeling over from laughter. He shook his head and turned back to Harry but he, Ron and Neville were also laughing though not as boisterously. 

“Nerves are normal for anyone who’s getting married to experience,” James said, over the laughter and surprisingly it died down.

“We know James,” Sirius said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. “But it doesn’t mean that we still can’t enjoy the humor of it years later.”

James, although he kept glaring at Sirius, said to Harry, “You’ll be fine son. Just try and relax.”

Harry nodded and felt himself immediately begin to calm down. They were all know listening to tales of James and Lily’s wedding day and it wasn’t until Fred and George came into the room did the reality of the day come flooding back. 

“The priest is here Harry,” Fred said, walking inside the room. “He says he needs to go over a few things with you before the wedding starts.”

“And you better hurry because it’s almost time for the wedding to start.”

Harry nodded and made one last adjustment to his tie before exiting the room, followed by Ron, Neville, Sirius, Remus and James. Before they descended the landing, Ron took hold of Harry’s arm, causing him to stop.

“What is it?” Harry asked.

“I just wanted to apologize again for, you know, punching you.” Ron released Harry’s arm and put his hands in his pockets. “I was just upset about everything and Ginny’s my sister so-”

“I completely understand Ron,” Harry interrupted. “I probably would have done the same thing had it been my sister,” he paused before adding, “you know, if I had a sister in the first place.”

Ron laughed and nodded and the two finally descended the stairs behind everyone else. Just before Harry took the last step, he looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it read 10:42 P.M. Only eighteen minutes left until the ceremony started. All other thoughts escaped his mind at that moment. His one and only concern was marrying Ginny and in a short while, it would become reality.

_________________________________________________________________________

_ Coming up… **[…When I Said I Do…]** _


	11. When I Said I Do

** SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING: EPILOGUE **

_ “If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.” _

_ \--Anne Bradstreet  _

**_ […When I Said I Do…] _ **

Harry stood at the front of the tent, next to the priest, Ron and Neville, and gazed out into the tent. It was decorated similarly to how it was during lunch except with a few elegant touches Molly and Lily had added earlier that evening. There were now tall, transparent vases at every corner of the tent filled with a wide array of flowers – long-stemmed white Roses surrounded with perfumed Lily-of-the-Vallies and blue Hyacinths mixed with small white Tulips - and white Calla Lilies spread along the grounds around the vases. There was also now a tall, curved entrance that was covered in satin and more, white Calla Lilies. It was a vision of beauty.

The clock chimed 11:00 P.M. and at that precise moment, the floating glasses filled with fairies and fireflies seemed to glow brighter in the moonlight, illuminating the tent. The band situated in one corner of the tent struck up a soft musical ballad and everyone in the tent went quiet.

Molly and Arthur Weasley appeared at the entrance and made their way down the aisle. Just as they took their seat at the front of the tent, Lily and James Potter emerged and followed the same path to their seat in the front as well. 

A shy Teddy Lupin quickly followed, accompanied by his mother, Nymphadora Lupin, who he refused to let out of his sight. Right behind them was Victoire who was enjoying her moment in the spotlight by taking her time to drop the flowers that were in her basket onto the runner and smiling at everyone as she did so.

A mere five seconds passed before Luna appeared at the entrance, holding her bouquet of Lilies and Tulips tightly in her hand. She walked up the aisle slowly and on beat with the soft music playing in the background. Neville had done the same, coming from the front of the tent, and therefore met her halfway down the aisle. They bowed to each other and as Luna switched the bouquet to her left hand, she placed her right hand onto Neville’s left and the two continued up the aisle, walking in harmony with the music.

Just as Luna took her last step and Neville had returned to his spot behind Harry, Hermione began to walk down the aisle, imitating Luna’s movements and stopping in the middle of the aisle to met Ron. Ron was staring at Hermione with a look of desire in his eyes but Hermione still avoided his gaze, meeting it only for half a second before they continued down the aisle, separating when they had reached the front of the tent. Just as they separated, the music stopped gracefully and picked back up again only when Ginny had emerged at the entrance. 

Harry’s heartbeat escalated and he drew in a breath. Ginny looked absolutely gorgeous in her satin and organza gown. She was also wearing that smile that Harry loved to see and that smile that made him beam as well. Her movements seemed to go in slow motion and everyone else in the tent seemed to vanish as Ginny made her way towards Harry. She was the vision of an angel dressed in her white gown and she seemed to be floating, how light and fluid her steps were. As she stepped in front of Harry and turned to face him, she also saw that he was slightly shaking from nerves and reached out to take hold of his hand.

The sound of the preacher’s voice broke their concentration and Harry and Ginny turned to face him.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of two souls: Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley. These two, as I myself have witnessed, have gone through a tremendous amount of testing through which they have managed to make it through.”

At that moment, Ginny looked over at her mother and saw that she crying silent tears. Lily Potter was also crying into her handkerchief and grasping tightly onto James’ hand. Molly smiled at her daughter and Ginny nodded, reassuring her that all was forgiven.

“It is their strength and their belief,” the priest started, “that have brought them here to make their lives as one.” He paused and then looked out into the crowd before continuing, “Knowing how much you care about someone is all you need in order to make the union possible and these two young people have proven that love is indeed enough. It -”

“If love is enough then I want to acknowledge it.” 

Neville’s interruption silenced the priest and he looked at Neville in confusion. In fact, everyone did. Harry had turned to look at him and Ginny had titled her head slightly to the right see behind Harry.

“I’m sorry,” the priest said, “but what did you say?”

Neville looked at the priest and replied, “I want to acknowledge my love.”

“I’m sorry young man but this is no time for-”

But Neville interrupted him once again by stepping out of line and walking past Ginny and Harry, to the spot where Hermione and Luna were standing. He slowly reached out his hand and pulled Luna towards him.

“Luna,” he started, “I have been struggling with this for as long as I can remember and hearing what the priest said just now,” he paused and looked up at the priest who was now smiling at him with his palms together. Then he continued, “I want to make our union possible by acknowledging my feelings for you. I love you Luna.”

Luna smiled and said softly, “I love you too Neville. I have for a very long time but I suspected that nargles might have been behind the delay.”

Neville grinned at her and then took her face in her hands before kissing her with a soft, gentle kiss that drew an array of “oh how sweet” and “awww, so cute” from the audience. When he pulled away Neville looked back at Harry and Ginny.

“I’m happy for you and all Neville but er-”

“Do you think we can get back to _our_ wedding?”

Neville smiled at them and said, “Right, sorry.”

He kissed Luna’s hand before retreating back to his spot. The priest, after making sure that everything was settled, loosened his hands and turned back to Harry and Ginny.

“May I have the rings please?”

Teddy, who was standing near Hermione, walked forward and handed the rings to the priest before jetting back to his spot. The priest smiled and then took the rings in his hand.

“I bless these rings which represent the never-ending union that these two will share for the remainder of their lives. I now ask that they each place one on the respective finger of the other as a sign of their love and fidelity to one another.”

Harry and Ginny both took a ring and, one after the other, slipped it onto the other’s finger. Ginny slipped the ring onto Harry’s finger with ease and beamed at him as he took hold of her ring to place on her finger. He was shaking slightly from nerves and it wasn’t until Ron held him still by holding onto his shoulders did Harry manage to slip the ring fully onto Ginny’s finger.

“OK, I did it,” Harry said, exhaling deeply.

The priest chuckled, “It’s about time, too.” Then he continued his speech, “As I said before, love is a very splendid thing and here we witness how far love can bring you. Harry and Ginevra,” he paused and took their joined hands in his, “you two have come far and it is from this moment that you will go further in life. With a gracious home, children and love, you will build a solid life together.” He released their hands and then looked out into the crowd. “It is with -”

“Wait!” a voice shouted.

The priest looked around for the source. “Who said -?”

“I did,” Ron confessed, raising his hand. “I said it.”

“Ron what’s the problem?” Ginny asked a little impatiently. “In case you haven’t noticed I’m trying to get married here.”

“I know but I can’t let this go.” He turned to look at Hermione. “Hermione I can’t jus let you go. I love you alright. I really do. And no matter what you say, a relationship between us will _not_ ruin our friendship; it will only make it that much better.”

“Ron, I already told you we can’t.” Hermione gave Luna her bouquet and then stepped down to where Ron was standing. “There’s no way -”

“Do you love me?” Ron asked suddenly.

“What?”

“You heard me Hermione. Do you love me?” he repeated.

Hermione remained quiet. Everyone’s eyes were on her and she knew it. Ron was looking at her and she loved that fact. His eyes were piercing and she loved that about him. She loved his red hair and the way it felt. She loved the things he did. She loved the things he said and how he said them. In truth, she loved _him._

“Er, guys,” Harry said, waving his hand at them. 

“Come on Hermione,” Ron said urgently. “Why else what we have done what we did if you didn’t? Why else would you be having my baby?”

“You’re what?” Molly Weasley stood up and surprisingly, she was wearing a smile. “Hermione’s pregnant?”

Ron spun to look at his mother and nodded. “Yes, she is. And I’m hoping she’ll have the baby with me instead of without me.” As he said this, he turned back to Hermione. “Hermione, I want you to tell me the truth. Tell me how you -”

“I love you Ron,” Hermione blurted. “I do, with all my heart.”

It took a Ron a moment to register what she had said but once he did, he took her in his arms and drew her into a kiss, a deep, passionate one. He was savoring the moment; it was the moment he had finally won Hermione’s heart; it was the moment he had finally let everyone know the truth; it was the moment he had been anticipating for weeks now. The moment seemed to last forever until an impatient voice broke through and drew the two apart.

“OI!!” Harry shouted, releasing Ginny’s hand to face Ron completely. 

“Oh, right sorry, Harry.” Ron apologized, still holding Hermione close to him. “Just one more thing.”

“Hurry up at least,” Harry said, gesturing with his hand to speed things along. 

“Right, right, right, right,” Ron kept repeating this one word as he rummaged through his pockets. “Aha!” he exclaimed as he pulled a tiny box out of his pocket. “Hermione I have been waiting to do this for so long now, ever since I found out that we were going to have a baby together. And now I finally have the chance to do it. Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?” 

Hermione drew a breath as Ron opened the box. Inside was a diamond engagement ring. The band was made of white gold and in the center were fifteen single cut diamonds that seemed to shimmer in the modest lighting within the tent. Hermione continued to look at the ring and covered her mouth as she became overwhelmed by all of what was happening.

“Oi,” Ginny shouted from behind them, “enough with the dramatics and answer already.”

Hermione laughed and then replied, “Yes. I will marry you Ronald Bilius Weasley.” 

“Did you have to say my middle name?” Ron asked, slipping the ring on Hermione’s finger with a broad grin.

“You said mine,” Hermione pointed out, linking her fingers with Ron’s.

“Well that’s standard but you didn’t have to imitate -”

“Are you two done??”

Ron and Hermione spun to look at Harry and Ginny. They were now both standing back by the priest and, although they had small smiles on their faces, there was no hiding their impatience so Ron and Hermione quickly nodded and slipped back into their spots.

“Now,” the priest started, “before we have any more interruptions. Let me just say,” he stopped and then smiled down at Harry and Ginny. “You may kiss your wife, Mr. Potter.”

Harry grinned and without hesitation pulled Ginny into a tight lip-lock that he was undoubtedly eager to do from the start of the ceremony. 

At that precise moment, a clock that had been placed in front of the tent chimed 12:00 A.M. Fred and George ran out of the tent and began setting off a few of their Wizard Wheezes, equivalent to firecrackers.

They illuminated the night sky brilliantly and everyone exited the tent after Harry and Ginny to watch. There was one in particular that seemed to imitate the moment Harry kissed Ginny; it remained in the sky the longest as more of the wheezes zoomed and cracked around it, creating an carnival of lights and booms.

The celebration and memories of that day were captured in hundreds of photographs and it wasn’t until later that evening did the festivities die down and Harry and Ginny were finally able to rest before leaving for their honeymoon.

\----------

Late that night, Ginny sat in the bed flipping through the photographs as Harry sat behind her, massaging her shoulders and her back.

“Yesterday was wonderful wasn’t it?” Ginny asked, turning over a photo of Fred and George setting off more Wizard Wheezes devices.

“It was good, except for all those mishaps.”

Ginny laughed. “Yeah but I guess they make for good memories.” She picked up the last photograph. “Oh no, this one’s ruined.”

Ginny held up the picture. It was one of the bridal shots. She and Harry were standing in the middle, Harry’s arm around her waist. Teddy and Victoire were standing in the front, grinning up at the camera. Neville and Luna were standing to the right of them, their hands interlocked and Ron and Hermione were standing to the left, Ron’s hand on Hermione’s stomach and Hermione with her arm around his waist. It would be a quaint, lovely photo if it wasn’t for the fact that right before the camera had snapped, one of Fred and George’s wheezes came zooming towards them, scattering them about. This caused the picture to show the bridal party standing smiling at the camera and then spreading out as a large phoenix burst through.

Harry laughed at it. “I think it’s perfect.”

“You can’t be serious,” Ginny said. “This is the final shot of the day and it’s not even a good one.”

“Of course it is,” Harry said. “It shows us the mayhem of the day and will help us remember how interesting our wedding day was.”

“Like we’ll ever forget,” Ginny said cynically, still looking at the photo. “I guess you’re right though.”

“Good.” Harry took the photo out of her hand. “Now that’s that settled, how about we get a heard start on our life together?”

“What do you mean?” Ginny asked as Harry placed all the photos on the bedside table and then moved from behind her.

“Oh I think you now,” he said.

“How about you tell me?”

Harry nibbled at her bare shoulder and then moved to her neck.

“Why Mr. Potter,” she giggled, “are you trying to have your way with me?”

“I certainly am, Mrs. Potter,” Harry replied, pulling down the thin strap of Ginny’s pajamas. 

“I like the sound of that,” Ginny said as Harry pushed her down onto the bed.

“I thought you would.”

Ginny giggled as Harry kissed her lips and she started to run her hand along his bare back and up into his naturally untidy hair. 

That night, the two spent their time consummating their marriage, the snapshot glowing to remind them of the commitment they had made and the undoubtedly interesting life that lay ahead.

_________________________________________________________________________

** A/N: ** _I just want to take the time to thank all my readers for reading and reviewing this story. This is my first completed Harry Potter fan fiction and I am proud of it. I hope you fully enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I apologize, once again, for taking so long to update these last two parts but there heer now and like I said, I hope you enjoyed the story. God Bless!_


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